


Seizensetsu

by GintaxAlvissforever



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions, Pokemon Colosseum
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Murder, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Child Abuse, Crossdressing, Dark fic, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Secrets, Gang Rape, Gorn, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Parent/Child Incest, Shadow Pokemon, Song Lyrics, Spoilers, Suicide Attempt, Tearjerker, Terrorism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-24 23:12:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 89,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2600015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GintaxAlvissforever/pseuds/GintaxAlvissforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a tragedy that struck Nimbasa City, Ash and co try to escape to Driftveil City. However Cilan falls ill and they have to take a detour to a mansion that apparently belongs to Trip, but that's not the least of their problems...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Downpour

**Author's Note:**

> I'm basing Ash's age for the five regions he's went to: Kanto, Orange Island, Hoenn and Sinnoh so the ages in this story are…
> 
> Ash: 15
> 
> Iris: 13-16
> 
> Cilan: 17-18
> 
> Trip: 10
> 
> Bianca: 16
> 
> Blair: 16
> 
> Chili: 17-18
> 
> Cress: 17-18
> 
> The title translates to "Belief that Human Nature is Fundamentally Good" which is supposed to be the hint of the theme of this story.
> 
> I should warn you right now that this fic takes place during the Unova arc and branches off directly off of the first tournament with Ash and the rivals with different results. To sum it up, its AU from that point simply because this was finished before Ash got to Driftveil City during Best Wishes. As a result many of the Pokemon the group has is based on that timeline.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tragic event that occurred in Nimbasa City, Ash and co quickly get out of the city to head to Driftveil to avoid the madness that threatened to rise. However, the tragedy ends up hitting Cilan the hardest and he ends up falling ill as a result. It's bad for Ash and co when they realize that they're too far away from the Pokémon Center to do anything about it. Luckily for them, there's a mansion in the direction of the bridge. Bad news is that it belongs to Trip's mother. However, Trip is allowing Ash and the group to stay only to take care of Cilan. The big problem at first seems to be that Team Rocket is also taking shelter in the mansion and planning to steal Trip's Pokémon, but the bigger problem that they cannot comprehend is about to hit them all.

There was a reason why the overall population generally hated Team Plasma. Many people thought they were causing problems with just their speeches to release Pokémon. Other's thought they were just a bunch of hypocrites causing trouble by stealing Pokémon. They went too far this time.

Team Plasma decided that it wasn't enough to attack Castelia City. They went for major damage in Nimbasa City. They planted a bomb in the main stadium where there was a big game going on. Naturally, the bomb did go off and many people were caught in the explosion. The reason they planted the bomb was unknown. While some would argue that it was people impersonating Team Plasma, others would think otherwise.

Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town was just glad that he and his friends were far away from the stadium when the explosion happened. He had just won his fourth badge at the Nimbasa City gym that was on the other side of the stadium. Shortly after he defeated Elesa and her Zebstrika, there was a huge explosion and a cry for help coming from the many citizens. When the group checked to see what happened, the sky was on fire.

The group did assist Elesa in helping save the people that were still in the building but the damage was already done. Many people were killed the minute the bomb detonated.

One of the trainers that was helping out called himself Blair or Black. He was in the area when the attack happened and he clearly saw that it was people wearing Plasma suits that attacked. He ran over to a girl that with Ash and the group; the one with the blonde hair and the green hat known as Bianca. She was watching Ash win his fourth badge as she was going to challenge Elesa the day after him, but now that this happened, she just wanted to get out.

The biggest problem though was that there were many people that the group knew that were inside the stadium. Cilan couldn't believe that Team Plasma would do something like this. He was almost certain that Team Rocket framed them, but he chose not to voice out that opinion.

"Oshawott, use water gun! Roggenrola, use sand storm!" Ash could be heard ordering to his Pokémon as they attacked the flames that engulfed the stadium.

Iris could not help out, as she had no Pokémon that could put out the fire. Cilan or Bianca did not have any water Pokémon either. Blair did as he sent out his Pokémon.

"Reim, use hydro pump!" He ordered.

Out of his Pokéball came a Samurott, the final form of Oshawott. The big blue Pokémon shot out a powerful water attack from its mouth hitting the flames and taking them out more easily than Ash's Pokémon.

"We got it from here." Blair told Cilan and the two girls. "Go try to fine any survivors!"

They nodded their heads in agreement as they all scattered to find someone. However, Cilan ran into an ally way where two men wearing black clothes like they were ninjas confronted him. He glared at them both.

"What the hell are you two doing?" He cursed when he was certain no one was following him. "Did Master Ghetsis order this?"

The two people ended up pulling their masks off revealing themselves to be Cilan's two other siblings Chili and Cress. They shook their head.

"Hell no!" Chili cursed, "That was Team Rocket! Not us! They attacked some of our members and put the outfit on! They're still running around as we speak!"

There was a long pause. Cilan shook his head trying to keep his cool. "I know you're lying Chili. Tell me why did you guys have to do it? Why did so many people have to die?"

The redhead turned away ashamed. Cress ended up speaking in his place. "It was the orders of Master Ghetsis. We cannot disobey his orders…no matter what…"

"But…"

"We were told to bomb the stadium because that man is a threat to one of our main allies."

"…No…not…Kurtz…he's…a good guy…"

Cress shook his head. "As much of a good guy as he is, we cannot disobey orders…which reminds me, Master Ghetsis wants you to stop traveling with those kids and do something constructive for once."

The green haired trainer felt insulted for the first time by his Master's words. Sure he and his two brothers were the three members of the Shadow Triad, the three people that were closest to Ghetsis and would obey every order he gave him…they had to ever since he saved their lives…

That's what Cilan told himself until he met Ash Ketchum. There was something about this boy that was unique. Call it destiny but Cilan felt that he was meant to travel with Ash and make sure that everything would go alright for him in this region. However, his brothers did not approve of that at all. Cilan had to convince them to travel with Ash by saying that Ash might be the hero that Ghetsis needed to awaken one of the two legendary dragons. Cilan still had high hopes for Ash at this point but something told him that Ash would not be the hero of legends. He was too naïve for something like that.

Cilan was more interested in Iris though. Of course, since he was a member of the Shadow Triad, he knew who she was. Iris was the apprentice of the eighth gym leader Drayden and she was training to become the final and most powerful dragon gym leader. She has a long way to go but she has shown huge progress. The grass gym leader felt that she was an interesting person to observe in more than one ways. By traveling with Ash and meeting new people, Cilan almost forgot he was a member of Team Plasma. Almost…

"I can't…not now…" Cilan replied. "Tell Master Ghetsis that I'm still observing this boy to see if he's one of the two heroes."

Chili just shook his head. "You're in love~"

Cilan frowned at the suggestion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't either." Cress said in a monotone voice. "But this is a warning. If you're not careful, you might as very well be the next target. You know how Master Ghetsis is about us."

"…"

The two put their masks on and within a few seconds, they were gone in a flash. Cilan just stood in the alley way thinking to himself what he should do. He was already feeling dizzy from the flames but he chose to ignore it. Saving the innocent people that had nothing to do with their target was the thing he had to do. He just prayed that Kurtz was alive…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 1814 words. All of Blair's Pokemon will have nicknames.


	2. Lamentation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and co leave Nimbasa City after the tragedy because of Elesa's orders of not getting any more trainers involved. However, they know that because the members that bombed the stadium are on the run, Clay will not lower the drawbridge for anyone. That leaves them stuck in the area the bombers could be. However, Blair is determined to figure out if a certain someone is behind this. However, the emotional damage that Cilan has sustained has started to take its toll…

The storm past Nimbasa City after a couple of days but that did not mean that the chaos went with the storm. In fact, the situation overall seem to have gotten worse.

Reporters were the worse for Elesa to deal with. They kept swarming in with their helicopters that were from Mistralton City only to get a story instead of helping out with the survivors and getting them to a safer city. To make matters worse, the Mistralton gym leader could not fly over on her plane to help Elesa out. Fortunately, Burgh was able to make it and help her out if only to help transport the injured people to his city where they had better doctors for humans.

What made the situation worse that when trainers were killed in the blast, some of their Pokémon did not die with them. They all snapped when they woke up to realize that there trainer was dead. Even with Audino's heal pulse, they did not calm down instantly.

It was all over the news that this was Team Plasma's doing. Because of this, the Marvelous Bridge on the right side of Nimbasa as well as the Driftveil Drawbridge on the left was closed off to prevent Team Plasma members from going anywhere. Burgh also had the Skyarrow Bridge closed off as well in case the members of Team Plasma tried to escape from the south.

This was not good for Ash and his friends. They were basically stuck in the Nimbasa circle until those two terrorist members were caught. It's been a full week and the police had done a full search around the area and still no luck. Cilan knew that his brothers would not get caught. They were the Shadow Triad and escape was what they did best. What they were probably doing now was playing the helping gym leaders they were and helping out…

Which was exactly what they were doing. Along with Ash and the trainers that were there, Chili and Cress were also helping with the wounded. It would be ironic if someone found out that these two were the murderers and arrested all three of them right there. The reason to arrest all three of them was because Cilan told himself that if his brothers were ever caught by authorities, he too would turn himself in because he could not bare to be the only one free of his crimes.

Then again, these two only had to wait one more week at minimum before they would be forced to go back to their gym because people were expecting them to be back and have a gym battle. One gym leader going out on a journey was one thing but for all three of them to disappear would be suspicious, but once that week past, they would be home free and rid of this terrible deed from their mind.

"Hey idiot, help me out over here!" Shouted a female's voice.

Cilan could not forget who that voice was. It was Burgundy, his self proclaimed rival. He found her annoying and troublesome but he's just glad that she doesn't have anything to back up her claim to what he told her when he first defeated her. Yes, he did tell her to watch her face and try again but no one would believe her. He had the perfect image for a cover up. He was considered the sweetest of the three siblings that had a passion for the many arts of the world and good taste. Why would anyone think that he was a sadist on the inside that secretly wanted to humiliate haughty trainers like her? In fact, she wasn't even that arrogant when she first challenged him. He fucked her up big time and he was secretly proud of himself to see the damage he had caused.

"Sorry, I'll be right over." He told her in his gentle voice.

The purple haired trainer fumed at how nice he was being before going back to help move another injured person that they found under the rubble.

 _Stupid girl._ Cilan thought to himself as he went over to help her. _If only you weren't such a hothead someone would believe you._

As those two were helping more people out of the destroyed stadium, Blair was planning to leave early.

"Hey, where are you going Blair?" Bianca asked in worry.

Blair pulled his hat down as he refused to look at her. "I'm going to go find those criminals…"

"But they're in this area! I'm sure Officer Jenny will find them!"

The brunette shook his head. "It's been a week and no traces of them whatsoever. They're obviously not here anymore. All the police are doing is stopping all trainers from continuing their journey."

"But…"

"Besides…I can't believe that he would seriously order an attack like this…no…I know he wouldn't."

"Blair…"

"Later…"

Bianca tried to stop her childhood from leaving when things weren't done but he was already walking away. As Iris was carrying some injured Pokémon, she glared in the direction of where Blair was heading.

"What an insensitive jerk! He just leaves when we're not done! And here I thought he was a cool guy!"

"…He is a great guy…" Bianca tried to defend but it wasn't that effective against Iris. "He just has his mind set to greater things…"

"And helping these poor people isn't that important? He's just like Trip, I swear! Wait…he's better than Trip if that guy isn't even here to do anything!"

"…"

Ash heard that statement but said nothing. Every trainer that participated in the tournament was here to help. However, a lot of people noticed that Trip wasn't there. They all assumed he was being a selfish prick and decided not to help at all. Ash remembered though that Trip didn't seem okay when the tournament started. It was almost like he was paranoid with something…and when he lost…he didn't look good at all…in fact…he looked terrified when he lost…

"Ash, can you help me out over here?"

"Sure Luke! I'll be right there!"

That was how it like for the next few days…

* * *

It wasn't even day fourteen when Elesa realized that they weren't going to capture those two grunts from Team Plasma. She couldn't tell her people that she was giving up though. She wasn't going to call it quits anytime soon. She just knew that the culprit wanted this close circle. So in the end, she forced many trainers that participated in the tournament to leave unless they wanted to help out still.

As much as Ash and the group wanted to help out more, the journey for the Unova League wasn't going to wait for them. Ash, Iris and Cilan left with Bianca shortly after the announcement. There was uproar shortly afterward but the electric gym leader could handle it. Cilan could only watch as his brothers made their getaway after the announcement. It was too easy for them especially when they had a gym leader position.

The group's destination was Driftveil City where the fifth gym leader awaited. Ash wasn't as pumped though as he usually was. The image of the dead bodies buried underneath the rubble was enough to traumatize anyone. Ash didn't take death too well especially when it was uncommon for him to witness it. His Pikachu tried to comfort him but no prevail.

Iris wasn't doing well either. She could hear the cries of the Pokémon during the incident. It made her sick to her stomach to think that Team Plasma was worse than Team Rocket. She would never forgive them for this incident. She would bring the whole organization down to her knees if she had to.

Bianca's mind was on Blair though. She worried that he would get himself into trouble. Now, if he made it over the drawbridge, he would probably reunite with Whitlea and Cheren, as those two did not stay long after the tournament. The blonde wondered how Blair would be able to catch up to Team Plasma.

Nothing was on Cilan's mind though as they kept walking down the simple path. Just thoughts of how Team Plasma had gone too far this time…and his royalty to Ghetsis. He was wondering if he should just up and quit…then again, that was out of the question. He owed Ghetsis so much yet…he was aware of how much of a monster this man was with how he treated his son, yet, Cilan didn't care too much of it. All he wanted to do was satisfy his master and his brothers have proven their worth to him by taking the lives of many. Cilan wasn't part of that plan though and Ghetsis must have been aware of that. He feared that he would be thrown away if he didn't do his job…just like the rest of him.

"Cilan, you okay?" Iris asked him.

The Connoisseur didn't realize that he was falling behind. He must have been really out of it to not notice.

"Yeah…"

The black girl didn't seem convinced. "You look pale. Are you sure you should be walking?"

"I'm fine…" Cilan tried to persuade. "I'm just a little under the weather."

Ash looked up at the sky and frowned. "It looks like it's about to rain soon…"

"Pika…"

 _Just great._ Cilan thought to himself darkly as he caught up with the group.

"Should we turn back?" Bianca asked.

"We've been in that city too long. There's no point in going back now because of a little rain…" Cilan replied rather bitterly.

His tone of voice made the group silence immediately as they continued on. Cilan knew he shouldn't be pushing everyone around because of his sour mood but he had every right too. He got overworked by saving the people that his brother's harmed and then he figured out why there was the attack in the first place. It didn't take a genius in Team Plasma to realize that their target was Kurtz, a Pokémon Breeder as well as an S rank Connoisseur AND owned a restaurant. He had his own place that wasn't on route 3. This Day Care was well known in Nimbasa because not only could you have your Pokémon be raised their but you could also ask Kurtz to see the compatibility of your Pokémon. That was what Kurtz was on the surface.

On the inside though, Kurtz knew a lot about Team Plasma that he didn't like to talk about. He wasn't an ex-member or anything. He just knew someone that was in the group and spied on him for that. As a result, he was deemed to dangerous by Ghetsis and wanted him dead. Kurtz has been on the run for a full year at the very least since the order to kill him was very recent. One would think that Kurtz would be easy to track down because of his status, as a high ranking Connoisseur, but that didn't apply to this guy. The problem with Kurtz was that he was never in Nimbasa City when Team Plasma was on the lookout for him. He would leave his restaurant to two twins named Tio and Tiana that didn't look old enough to own the place in the first place. It really didn't matter to him though because they did there job, but didn't get that must customers as a result.

Kurtz only came back to Nimbasa City recently because of the tournament that was being held though. Team Plasma expected this and was planning to destroy the stadium during the actual tournament. Luckily, they didn't go through with that for reasons that Cilan does not know. Chances were that there was someone very important watching in the crowd…and there were at least three important people that were in the crowd watching the battles. Kurtz was lucky then…but Ghetsis was not a patient man. He wanted Kurtz dead as soon as possible hence why his brothers had to cause a scene by blowing up the stadium. No one can find Kurtz' body so Cilan wants to think that Kurtz escaped since he's the type of person to pull of the vanishing act very well.

The grass gym leader didn't have any hard feelings for Kurtz. Chili could imply that he was in love but it wasn't love for Kurtz or anyone by that matter. Kurtz was just someone he admired. He was someone that could lead a double life and still be loved by many people. He was better at predicting the compatibility of Pokémon and their trainers; he was a good cook and could handle Pokémon extremely well. He might have come off as a lecher especially giving his young appearance and he could come off as arrogant because he could kick your ass whether it was in a fist fight or a Pokémon battle but he was just unique overall that deserved respect.

With all of these reasons, Cilan could conclude that Kurtz could not easily be killed and probably fled to the eastern side of Unova before they closed Marvelous Bridge off. He shouldn't have to worry about him at all…but he still worried and it took a toll on his mental health.

"Cilan, are you okay? Hey Cilan!"

His friends were calling him. He wished they were his friends. For the past week he started to question his relationship with his traveling companions. Did he truly care for them or was it a façade? Did he want to observe Ash because he might be one of the heroes in the legend or was he attracted to Ash's overall character? And what of Iris? What was her role in all of this? It was too confusing for him. All of this thinking made his head spin…

_I feel tired…maybe I should sleep…_

He didn't realize that he ended up collapsing in the middle of the road. His friends were calling his name but he didn't hear them anymore. He just closed his eyes and slept.

* * *

"Hey Cilan! Wake up! Cilan!"

"Pika!"

Iris predicted that Cilan wasn't feeling well ever since the explosion but everything he contributed to in Nimbasa was starting to take its toll. She could easily tell he was exhausted and lost in thought about something that weighed him down greatly. When he fainted, the dragon trainer felt his forehead as Ash tried to shake the grass gym leader awake. She frowned.

"As I thought. He's burning up."

"What?"

"T-This is bad! S-Should we head back?" Bianca asked starting to freak out.

"It's just like Cilan said." Iris continued trying to remain calm to keep Bianca from losing her nerves more so than she already was. "We're too far from Nimbasa City and since Elesa doesn't want us back until everything has settled down, we're going to have to keep going straight ahead to the next town."

"B-But that's so far!" Bianca exclaimed. "A-And it's going to rain soon!"

When she said that, raindrops fell on Pikachu's nose. His ears twitched as he looked at the sky. Rain soon came pouring down hard causing the group to run under a tree. Ash did his best to lift Cilan but because he was the oldest, he was the heaviest. With Iris and Bianca helping him though, they manage to get him under a huge tree that could only shield them from the rain temporary.

"We need to find shelter fast." Iris stated the obvious. "I can't treat him in this weather."

Ash looked around trying to find anything that resembled a cabin. He recalled when his friend Brock got sick and he Misty were left with taking care of everything while he got his well deserved rest. It didn't go well, but it was the thought that counted. That didn't apply here though. They needed to find a place to stay and fast if they wanted to know what was wrong with Cilan.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as the yellow rat pointed straight ahead.

The group had wondered away from the main path before it started raining because it would be easier to get to the town instead of going straight since according to Cilan, the next town before the drawbridge was hidden between a lot of trees. What Pikachu pointed to was a clearing with a huge mansion in the middle of the clearing.

The first thought was the Litwick Mansion that Ash, Iris and Cilan had to overcome. They all swore never to go into a mansion that looked abandoned in the middle of a rainstorm again but here was another mansion in the middle of nowhere that looked deserted.

"Oh! There's shelter!" Bianca explained as she jumped up immediately. "We're saved!"

"I don't know about this Ash…" Iris mumbled in a worried tone. "Remember what happened before?"

"Axew…"

"We don't really have a choice, do we?"

"No but…"

"No buts! Help me out with carrying Cilan. Bianca, can you lead the way?"

"Y-Yes!"

The trio hurried to the mansion. It took at least twenty minutes to get from where they were standing to the front door. Ten minutes would have been the normal time but because of the weight they were carrying it took them twice as long. Additionally, Bianca had a hard time opening the gate that lead into the mansion. They didn't have time to look around the mansion as Bianca rang the doorbell.

"HEY! IS ANYONE HOME? WE NEED SHELTER!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The rain was starting to come down harder with thunder booming in the distance.

"OUR FRIEND IS IN TROUBLE!" Ash added in his loudest voice. "IT WILL ONLY BE UNTIL THE STORM PASSES!"

"PLEASE HELP US!" Iris pleaded.

There didn't seem to be a response. The door was indeed locked and it gave the impression that it would still locked. The trio felt like giving up but then the door handle started to turn. The group looked up in anticipation…but then they frowned when no one opened the door. Ash ended up asking Bianca to support Cilan in his place. The blonde trainer ended up doing just that.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Iris questioned realizing that he was going to do something reckless again.

"I'm going to knock." The Kanto trainer said in a matter of fact voice.

That's what he did. He banged on the door hard. "HEY! LET US IN! HEY!"

Ash ended up grabbing onto the door handle. Since it was already turned, that meant the door could swing open when the right amount of force was applied. Ash grabbed on with both hands and began to pull. The door did start to open…

But what ended up meeting Ash's hands was nothing but hard pain. In fact, he felt his hands were on fire when he let go. He let out a scream when the pain hit him and jumped back.

"Ash!" The two girls behind him called out.

Ash was furious at the attack and ended up yelling at his attacker. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"

The Kanto trainer wished he didn't curse at the person that was supposed to help him at the door. When Ash finally opened his eyes after blocking out the pain in his hands, he looked to see who was the one that unlocked the door to hit him in the first place. His eyes widened to see a boy that was obviously younger than him with dirty blonde hair and gray eyes holding onto the door frame with one hand and a baseball bat in another looking terrified at first before his expression changed to that of relief and then irritation.

"And here I thought there were actual burglars attacking this place…"

"Trip?"


	3. No Rough Housing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the misunderstanding is cleared up, Trip allows Ash and the group to stay at his place until Cilan feels better. Ash wonders if Trip is aware of the incident in Nimbasa but decides not to bring it up only because there was a bigger problem in the mansion and that is Team Rocket who seems to be planning something big…

Trip was wondering why he let these idiots inside the mansion again. He was supposed to finish his chores around the place before he was free to do whatever he wanted. It wasn't like he was procrastinating or anything. He just didn't understand why the hell he had to be the one to clean the damn place from the top to bottom when the last person in here had a party. He thought that person came back too soon and was prepared to attack him if he tried to get in the house again. He found a baseball bat in one of the rooms so he proceeded to attack the person and slam the door in their face.

It was a surprise to see that the person he hit was Ash. Actually, he shouldn't be surprised at all. He should be used to Ash popping up at unexpected times and ruining his mood. And Ash should be use to him getting hit by whatever Trip threw at him whether it was a Shadow Ball attack from his Lampent or a Pokéball to the face.

This time, he might have gone too far though. The bat he used to hit Ash was a metal baseball bat…and those things hit hard. When he allowed the group into the mansion because of the pouring rain, Ash took off his gloves for once and his hands were an obvious red color. For a second, Trip thought he should apologize but changed his mind.

Luckily, Trip had a friend that lent him her shiny Audino nicknamed Joi to help him out with the chores. With her move called heal pulse, Audino was able to negate the pain the Kanto trainer was feeling on his hand. The wound was still bright red though and required a bandage around it.

"You shouldn't have tried to force your way into the mansion." Was all Trip said as he look down upon Ash.

Ash glared at him as Joi treated his wounds. "Well for your information, its raining cats and dogs outside and you weren't answering the door!"

"This mansion is in the middle of nowhere." Trip told him harshly. "Any suspicious person could force their way in. You were just lucky that I recognized you or I might have hit you more than once."

The two girls were drying themselves with a towel that was in one of the many bathrooms of the house. They weren't pleased at how Trip reacted to the situation at all.

"You could at least apologize." Iris said as she finished drying her hair. Her Axew jumped out of it and shook himself similar to a dog.

"For self defense?"

"You know what I mean! Quit being such a kid!"

Again, Iris pushed his buttons. For a second, Trip's overall expression changed before he turned away frustrated.

"I'm sorry for protecting myself from a weirdo like you."

The dragon trainer wasn't satisfied with this apology but Ash was willing to accept it. Knowing Trip, this was the best he was going to get.

"Umm…Trip…" Bianca began. "What about Cilan?"

When Trip allowed them inside the mansion, he allowed them to set Cilan on the couch. It didn't take an expert doctor to see that Cilan was ill. His face was all flushed and the heat generated from the fever literally radiated around him. The photographer felt like he would have to babysit him for a while.

"I guess there's no choice. Gurdurr, can you help us out?"

In this mansion, Trip didn't need to keep his Pokémon in his Pokéballs. In fact, all of them were walking around the mansion freely. Looking at Trip's character, you wouldn't expect him to pull an action like this off.

A rather ugly but very muscular Pokémon came in through the doorway, but when he did, the steel beam that he was carrying hit the top of the hallway entrance. Trip visibly flinched when he thought that his Pokémon broke something, but was lucky that his fighting Pokémon destroyed nothing.

"Is that the same Gurdurr that you used during the tournament?" Bianca questioned.

"Yeah…" Trip murmured as a response. "Gurdurr…please don't break anything."

It sounded like Trip was pleading his own Pokémon not to mess anything up but to everyone else, it sounded like he was being sarcastic.

Gurdurr grunted as a response as he awaited orders.

"Please carry Cilan to the guest room on the third floor."

The group gasped.

"Wait…how many floors are in this mansion?" Ash had to ask.

As Gurdurr gently lifted up Cilan off the couch, Trip decided that it was worth explaining the layout of the mansion if everyone was going to stay here for a while.

"There are three main floors with a basement and an attic." Trip began. "You're on the main floor now with all the main rooms including the kitchen and the laundry room. Anything that has to do with Pokémon is on the second floor and all the guess rooms are on the third floor. There's also a garden in the back…"

Ash couldn't believe how big the mansion was. He feared of getting lost later on today.

"Are you rich?" Iris had to ask. "This doesn't seem to belong to you at all."

"It doesn't." Trip replied. "It belongs to my mom…"

Iris wasn't convinced. "Trip, there aren't that many people that are this rich in Unova. Please elaborate on who your mother is."

The dirty blonde trainer appeared like he wasn't going to say anything. However, Bianca beat him to the punch when she noticed a magazine near Ash.

"Hey, what's that?" She asked as she instantly rushed over pushing the shiny Audino to the side making her mess up on Ash's bandage hand and of course making Ash cry out in pain.

"Oh…that…isn't anything…"

Bianca ignored him as she gasped. "This is the woman we saw at the tournament!"

Iris was interested now as she and Ash ended up peaking at the cover. Sure enough, it was the same woman that they saw in the stands watching the battles. She was a tall woman with gray eyes and light blue hair that was apparently short but had one long strand of hair that reached all the way to the ground. Not exactly rapunzel hair but that one strand was one of her more noticeable features since it was easy for kids to step on it.

Ash and the group encountered this woman during the tournament. She complained the entire time to the gym leader Elesa about being there in the first place and how everyone was forcing her to watch Pokémon battles when she hated Pokémon more than anything. Elesa simply told her to grin and bare it which caused the two bodyguards she was with to snicker. This woman was very beautiful but she was like a thorn. Beautiful to look at but hurt to speak to her despite the fact that as long as you didn't bring up Pokémon, she was rather civil but that didn't happen at the tournament. It got to the point that she left after Trip lost his battle to Ash at the very end and nobody stopped her from leaving early even when the tournament was at its end.

Iris groaned. "I don't get it. We all met that wicked lady and you have magazine pictures of her. Why is that?"

"…That's my mom…" Trip finally said.

There was a long pause before…

"WHAT?"

"This is your mom?" Iris questioned looking back at the picture of the woman and then back at Trip who avoided eye contact with them. "I don't see the resemblance!"

"I do." The blonde trainer said. "You two have the same color eyes, but even with that I don't understand why she has a different hair color."

"Gray eyes are rare for people to have." Trip explained again, "If people actually looked at us, people would assume that I'm her son, so she went the extra length to prevent anyone from accusing us of family by dying her hair. It has worked for the most part."

"…You don't get along with your mother?"

Ash felt like whenever he spoke to Trip, he always said something to piss him off. This applied to conversation too as the saying, if looks could kill, Ash would be dead at that moment.

"I'll give you one guess on what the answer is."

No one replied to that statement as Trip finally sighed in defeat.

"I'll just say that we don't have the best of relationships after she left my dad to pursue her dreams and her dream man." He added that last part rather spitefully. "The only thing she allowed me to have when she left was this mansion. I'd say I'm rather satisfied with it since she actually allowed this mansion to have a floor that is just dedicated to Pokémon."

Despite what he said, Trip didn't look happy at all with having this huge mansion to himself. Bianca and Iris probably didn't catch it but Ash noticed for a second that Trip looked saddened by his own statement.

"It must have been hard." Bianca tried to sympathize.

"Not really. I'm actually glad to be away from both of my parents here. I don't have to worry about my mom swindling dumb men and I don't have to worry about my worthless father that didn't stand up to her."

The older trainers realized that they were digging into information that was best not knowing at the moment. This information would be important later on but…

Trip let out another sigh. "Guess I got to get more beds ready…I already have some people staying here but…"

"There are already people here?" Ash asked. "Who?"

"They're…kind of strange but…"

"Hey kid, that door is not opening up. Do you have any more clues on how to open it?" Came a voice too familiar with the group.

Trip shook his head. "No. Besides the keyhole, there is nothing else I can think of."

"That's a shame." Said another voice. "We tried almost everything but no prevail."

The people that walked in through the doorway now were a man with blue hair and a woman with red hair. Next to them was a Meowth and it was obviously talking to an ice cream Pokémon that was obviously Trip's. The group knew who the trio was almost instantly.

"YOU!" Bianca shouted as she pointed at the trio.

Team Rocket saw the kids that always interfered with their plans and also ended up pointing to them. In fact, it seemed like a reflex to point at the enemy team. Trip was confused at the hostility the two sides show.

"You guys know each other?" Trip finally asked breaking the tension.

Team Rocket glanced at the photographer and then back at the twerps before they both came to an agreement.

"If we were asked, **_you guys know each other_**?"

"We will answer for the sake of tomorrow."

"Future! A white future reflects the color of evil!"

"Universe! The hammer of justice in a black world!"

"Our names will be remembered in this place!"

"Destroyer of passion, Jessie!"

"Pure heart of darkness, James!"

"Infinite intelligence, Meowth!"

"Come gather! Under the name of Team Rocket!"

Ash the group glared at Team Rocket. They were up to no good again.

"Not you again!" Ash yelled.

"What are you planning this time?" Iris asked, as she took out a Pokéball ready to unleash her Pokémon.

Team Rocket was thinking the same thing as they took out their Pokéballs.

"We weren't planning to do anything until you brats showed up." James told them darkly.

"Stay out of our way." Jessie said in a threatening tone as she and her partner threw their Pokéballs.

"Go Yamask!"

"Go Woobat!"

The little black ghost and the little bat emerged from their Pokéball. Ash's hands were still injured but he still managed to point his finger at them.

"Pikachu are you ready for this?"

"Pika!"

Iris and Bianca were ready to fight too.

"Go Excadrill!"

"Let's go Pignite!"

The two girls released their drill and fire pig Pokémon in the living room. Meowth jumped into the fray to make it a triple battle. Things started to heat up until…

"Vanillite, use attract!"

Everyone forgot about the ice cream Pokémon that was next to Team Rocket. Nobody expected the cute ice cream cone to use the attract that made all Pokémon of the male gender immobile…apparently all but Jessie's Woobat was a male and was instantly fallen victim for attract, however...

"Keep it up with ice beam."

Because Vanillite wasn't done with attacking, she froze the bat with a powerful ice attack.

"What the hell are you doing kid!" Jessie questioned in anger.

"Yeah, what are you doing?" Iris added.

Trip glared at the group before him. "Since when did I allow you guys to fight in my living room?"

"Why does that matter?"

"It matters because this is my place and I'm not going to let you trash it with your battle. If you want to battle, take it upstairs in the battle room. Otherwise, I'm kicking you out in the rain right now!"

He glared at Team Rocket. "You guys are adults! Can't you settle things without a battle?" He then shifted his gaze at Ash more so than the two girls. "And can't you idiots show some restraint? You act like these people are bad when all you guys have shown is nothing but hostility."

Most of the time, Trip showed irritation to trainers. This time, he really demonstrated anger that was very similar to his mom's. However, Ash wasn't going to back down.

"Trip, you don't know who these guys are! They're Team Rocket! They steal Pokémon and that's what they're planning to do to yours."

The photographer didn't by that one bit. "I think you're wrong. My Vanillite has been talking to their Meowth before you guys came here uninvited and trusts him. If she can trust them, then so will I."

"But-"

"Besides, if they do break my trust…"

Trip decided not to finish that sentence because for a second, his expression became rather psychotic. Team Rocket caught it and instantly shivered at this side of him.

"So call back your Pokémon before I kick you out." He ordered going back to his calm self.

Jessie and James instantly looked at each other as they called their Pokémon back instantly like professional adults. Iris and Bianca soon had to give it up and return their attracted Pokémon. At this point, Meowth and Pikachu snapped out their trance. Vanillite went back to her trainer's side as happy as ever.

"I expect you guys to get along when I'm not in the room." Trip said darkly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some chores to tend to before I treat Cilan."

As the blonde excused himself from the room, Team Rocket let out a sigh of relief. Ash was pissed though that Team Rocket was actually going to get away with staying in the same area.

"Too bad twerp," Meowth snarked, "if you try to attack us, he might kick you guys out."

"I can't believe Trip!" Iris shouted as she ended up storming out of the room since she wouldn't be able to kick their ass. Bianca ended up following her down the hall.

"I guess we can continue doing our thing here." James said with a smile.

The Kanto trainer only glared at them as Pikachu still looked ready to attack.

"Even if Trip says I can't attack you because his Vanillite trusts you guys, that doesn't mean I'm not anytime soon." Ash began. "And because I know you guys better than he does any day, I'll tell you this. If you plan on hurting Trip, don't expect any mercy from me."

Team Rocket was speechless as Ash soon followed the girls through the hallway. Most of the time, his threats did them in the past but this was different from a threat. This was a promise to actually harm them if they hurt the younger trainer.

Meowth just groaned. "Since when did the boy get so defensive?"

"It doesn't matter." Jessie told him. "We just need to figure out how to open the door and anything behind that door is ours."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 3988 words. Notes! 
> 
> 1\. Maddalen is Trip's mom's name by the way. I only mentioned her in the first Pokémon story I wrote Beloved Smother. I gave vague details on what her career actually is. Well I'll just say she's a model at best but is capable of singing and dancing as well. However, I mentioned that she hates Pokémon…it sucks to be her since everywhere she goes involves Pokémon. Trip is very vague about her personality as well since it's only from the point of view from a child. Additionally, Trip inherits almost everything from his mom which I'll state later in the story…so he really doesn't have anything in common with his father, so if someone was going to identify Trip, they would do it by looking at his eye color since gray eyes are actually very rare even for anime unless there was a special reason.
> 
> 2\. One of the spoilers of the tournament arc is that Trip's Timburr evolves into Gurdurr. Well, I'm pretty sure everyone who has watched Best Wishes episode 34 saw Trip's reaction when Timburr loses to Oshawott. I think I know how Trip's view of his Pokémon is. Remember how Trip insists of evolving his Pokémon? I think Trip believes that Pokémon aren't strong unless they evolve hence why he keeps criticizing Ash's Snivy for not evolving (it would be ironic if Snivy evolves in the battle against Langley). He'll use it against Cilan's Dwebble…but I think it's obvious that Trip is going to win this battle. Why would the creator let Cilan who kicks everyone's ass win? He's the Brock of the group so he'll lose early no matter how badass he is. –sigh- I can't imagine all the hate Trip will get if he wins and he'll be mocked if he loses. Such a lose-lose situation for him unlike Paul…
> 
> 3\. The mansion layout in my mind is a combination of Luigi's Mansion and the Ushiromiya mansion in Umineko. It's very big and easy to run away in if a murder started…hon hon hon.
> 
> 4\. Team Rocket may seem like a red herring here with what they want to do. They're not here for Pokémon and if you watched Best Wishes episode 29, you would know that they're still looking for a base to set up Team Rocket. Since Trip talked to Team Rocket off screen (for now), you guys won't know what Trip is allowing them to do in the mansion instead of Ash and his friends assuming that they tricked Trip into letting them stay. It's unlikely though if I already hinted that Trip is a little paranoid in this story.
> 
> 5\. The name Joi is obvious a shout out of Black Adventures. I love that author. If you haven't read Black's comic, go and read it. You will be laughing and crying and shouting in the comments below. We're also playing whose that Pokemon?...AND IT'S SO DAMN HARD! I HAVE TO THINK DAMMIT!
> 
> 6\. I haven't written a story about Paige and her relationship with Trip but it was mentioned in the story Icy Petals of what Trip thinks of her. I'll just say she has only shiny Pokemon in her party...and you know how hard it is to get them.
> 
> 7\. Again, Trip's Vanillite will be female because I have a strong belief that this one is a girl. You know, when I go to the Cold Storage to catch Vanillite, despite having a fifty-fifty ratio, the female seems to pop up more for me. Who else does this apply to? Also, I made James' Yamask a male and Jessie's Woobat a female because it would make a lot of sense for them to have them the same gender as their trainer.
> 
> 8\. The door...I'll get to that later.


	4. Connect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Iris attends to Cilan, Ash and Bianca try to learn more about Trip. It's very hard to do that though when he forbids them from seeing his room amongst other minor things. However, Trip is trying to deal with a little intruder that has been in his mansion for a while getting him in trouble often. If Ash tames the little critter then Trip might open up to him more…maybe…

Night soon came to Unova. Trip glanced out the window and frowned. The rain wasn't letting up anytime soon and neither were his guests. He wished they would just leave now.

In the end, he decided to let Iris take care of Cilan because she insisted on nursing him back to health. Trip always assumed that the dragon trainer had a thing for the Pokémon Connoisseur ever since he saw them together. If Iris cheering for Cilan during his battle wasn't a huge give away, he didn't know what was. With that chore out of the way, he would try to finish cleaning the kitchen area and make dinner…but his Pokémon denied him of making dinner again. The photographer didn't understand why his Pokémon were against him making dinner. Did they prefer leftovers to newly cooked food?

It didn't matter because he had to deal with Ash and Bianca hovering over him when he was trying to clean. They were going to continue pestering him until he caved him, but that wasn't going to happen this time.

"If you guys don't have anything to do, you could go to the second floor and actually train your Pokémon." He hissed as he tried to dust some of the huge picture frames of whatever painting his mother put in the house was.

"But we want to see your room~" Bianca said with a happy grin. Any thoughts of beating up Team Rocket were gone for the two of them now.

"That's not going to happen." Trip replied quickly.

"How come? I bet you have a huge room!"

"It's not clean…"

"Who cares?" Ash responded. "My room is never clean so my mom has to clean it up for me."

Trip glared daggers at Ash for even mentioning his mother. Ash realized his mistake and kept quiet.

"Come on Trip! We'll leave you alone if you let us in your room!" The blonde trainer started to plead.

"No."

"Please!"

"No."

"Ah come on Trip!"

"Shut up you hillbilly."

" _-red vein-_ What?"

Before Ash could yell at Trip for calling him something he was not, Trip suddenly heard a jar nearby break. He instantly fumed.

"Frillish, I told you to stop breaking stuff!" He tried to say calmly but it obviously failed.

His Frillish came out of the kitchen and shook his head like he was saying that he wasn't the culprit.

"What's wrong Trip?" Bianca asked even though she should know the answer already.

"There goes another priceless vase…" The younger trainer replied with a sigh completely ignoring her question. He went over to the vase ready to pick up the broken pieces.

"Hey Trip! You're not supposed to be picking up glass with your bare hands!" Ash called out as he went over to help him.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter!"

"You shouldn't be helping. Your hands are still bandaged."

"It doesn't matter!"

The conversation went back and fourth between the two but that was when Ash caught the bruises on Trip's hand. Glancing at the younger trainer's neck, he saw a purple bruise wrapped around his neck completely.

"What are you staring at?" Trip asked, instantly getting defensive.

"Trip…is there someone else in this mansion beside Team Rocket?"

"Nope. He's gone again to party." Trip said simply as he picked up the pieces by himself. Frillish had a bag for him prepared in case something like this happened. "I have the house to myself for a week. I'll be done with the cleaning before then so I can leave before that lazy ass gets back."

"And whose he?" Bianca was afraid to ask but she ended up doing so.

"My uncle."

"Wait…your uncle is telling you to clean this entire place all by yourself?"

He nodded his head slowly. "It doesn't matter. I'm almost done anyway…but…" He looked at the shards of the vase and shook his head in annoyance. "I only wished I could deal with that Pokémon that keeps doing this."

"Pokémon?"

Just as he mentioned the Pokémon, there was another crash coming from the kitchen. When the three trainers looked up, Frillish was thrown out of the kitchen. He got back up more irritated than ever as it looked ready to unleash a water pulse attack that would surely destroy something in the kitchen.

"Don't you dare attack!" Trip ordered.

The blue jellyfish stopped its attack…only to get attacked by a purple aura that tackled it into the wall causing it to crack when it collided on impact.

"Frillish!"

Bianca and Ash stood up ready to throw out their Pokémon ready to attack whatever was hurting Frillish. Once the aura cleared though, Ash saw what the Pokémon was. It was a little brown fox like Pokémon with a furry collar around its neck.

"It's an Eevee!" Ash exclaimed. He had seen many Eevee on his journey. One was even owned by his friend May that later evolved into a Glaceon.

Bianca had never seen an Eevee before and pointed her Pokédex toward it.

**_Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. Because its genetic makeup is irregular, it quickly changes its form due to a variety of causes. Eevee can evolve into Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon or Glaceon depending on how the trainer raises it. Eevee are known for being friendly creatures and are very fond toward humans._ **

The Eevee didn't look friendly at all. In fact, this Eevee looked vicious as it got into an attacking stance. Frillish got up and proceeded to attack with a bubble beam. However, the Eevee charged him with a powerful dark aura like tackle sending it into the ground.

"What move is that?" Bianca asked.

Ash didn't know. He would have thought it was a tackle attack or a takedown move but this was too dark and too powerful to be those attacks.

"Frillish, return!" Trip called out as he took his Pokéball out and returned his jellyfish Pokémon. When he did that, the Eevee turned their direction and began to hiss.

"Trip, is this the Pokémon you were talking about?" Ash asked.

The photographer nodded his head. "I read books about Eevee and they're supposed to be gentle creatures…but this one is too violent…and there's a dark aura around it."

"Dark aura?" Ash and Bianca asked at the same time.

Trip looked at them confused. "You don't see it?"

Both shook their head in confusion. Trip was about to say something when the Eevee lashed out at them proceeding to bite them. Ash was quick enough to jump in front of it…only to get bitten in the arm. Now Ash had been tackled, burned, washed away, blown away, electrocuted, frozen, poisoned…the list could go on but being bitten was different. He had been bitten by multiple Pokémon before but this bite was harder than the more dangerous Pokémon that he was certain it drew blood. He had to keep himself from crying in pain.

"! Minccino, get Eevee off of Ash using your tail slap!" Bianca ordered as she threw her Pokéball in the air.

Out came an adorable gray chinchilla Pokémon that looked happy to come out of its ball. He instantly slapped Eevee off of Ash with tail slap that hit multiple times. Eevee landed on its legs before tackling the chinchilla Pokémon with another shadow rush. It seemed to be super effective on Bianca's Pokémon apparently as it was sent flying into the wall.

"Don't give up! Use attract!" The blonde trainer ordered.

Minccino jumped up into the air and winked. Hearts came out of its body after the wink and flew straight toward Eevee. The attack had no effect though as Eevee became more ferocious.

"Why didn't it work?" Bianca wondered.

"It must be a male." Trip told her debating whether he should help or not. He realized he couldn't though if his Pokémon were scattered across the mansion doing house work.

Eevee tackled with another dark tackle. This time Minccino was knocked out but even though he could no longer battle, Eevee tried to attack it again. Bianca withdrew her injured Pokémon as the Eevee turned to Ash and the group again.

"…Trip…I can see the aura." Ash finally replied after wiping the blood off of his arm.

"You can?"

"Something is wrong with this Eevee." Ash tried to explain. "It's acting out like a violent monster. Someone has to calm it down." He stood up and began to walk over to him.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"Trip, violence isn't going to get Eevee to calm down. Trust me. I know what to do."

"But…"

Bianca realized that Trip needed to stand back for this to work. She pulled him back as Ash walked toward the Eevee that continued hissing.

"We're not going to hurt you Eevee. We just want to help you."

The aura went from purple to red in Ash and Trip's eyes. If it didn't calm down anytime soon then someone was going to get hurt and more the area would be destroyed.

"Easy, Eevee, it's okay."

As Ash tried to pet it, the Eevee instantly bit him in his injured hand. Because there were bandages on his hand, the pain lessened at first, but the teeth Eevee had dug deeper into Ash's skin to the point that it drew blood again.

"Ash!"

The Kanto trainer visibly flinched this time as the Eevee really wanted to hurt him. However, Ash decided to suck it up and pull the Eevee into an embrace.

"It's okay…we're not going to hurt you. Just relax."

The Eevee continued to glare at him with intimidating eyes. They weren't the adorable puppy eyes that this race had. It looked that of a monster. Ash wasn't going to back down even if he lost a few ounces of blood.

The red aura around the Eevee though changed back into a purple one. Slowly, he began to loosen its grip on Ash until he pulled back. Trip was shocked that this violent Pokémon even did that.

"See, there's nothing to fear. We won't hurt you." Ash continued to consult.

Ever so slowly, the little fox's eyes went back to their big bubbly ones. They were filled with tears as it began to cry into Ash's shirt. Ash chuckled as he pet the Pokémon with his uninjured hand.

"Unbelievable…" Trip muttered, "He actually tamed that thing…"

Bianca was awestruck. "Ash is really good at handling Pokémon, don't you think?"

"…Ridiculous."

Ash just smiled as he slowly stood up with the Eevee in his arms.

"See Trip? There's nothing to worry about anymore. Your big bad Pokémon has been taken care of by yours truly."

The younger trainer avoided eye contact with the raven haired teen again. "I didn't even ask you for help."

"What?"

"Besides…the wall is cracked and the kitchen is probably a mess. I'll probably never hear the end of it from my uncle now."

"I don't get any thanks?"

Trip ignored him as he hurried into the kitchen and cursing up a storm when the place was a mess. Bianca took a peek inside and chuckled nervously. Most of the food utensils were on the floor. Some of the dishes were broken and of course, the food that was in the pot was eaten. Chances were that Eevee ate whatever Trip was cooking up.

Of course, there were more important things to fuss over than the messed up kitchen. Bianca knew that she would have to find that Audino again to heal Ash's new wounds. Joi would not be happy at all.

* * *

_There was fire everywhere. No matter where he went, there were flames in front of him. There were too many voices in his head that were screaming for help. Pokémon cries were louder than that of humans._

_He didn't care though. He had to save his brothers from this madness. He hated this region. He tried to tell his parents that it was a bad idea to take a vacation here. Now they were lying in their own blood from an attack. They were both unconscious from the powerful grenade that was thrown at them. He was trying his best to carry them both but there was a limit that one little body can do._

_"There are more survivors!" He could hear someone yell. It was them. Those bad people that were trying to kill everyone in this area and capture all the Pokémon..._

_"Kill them! Whether it's a woman, a child, the elderly or the disabled, kill them all! Leave no witnesses!"_

_He was running, but his legs were giving up on him. The Pokémon that was chasing him…a Mightyena was catching up to him. Eventually, it tackled him with a powerful take down attack. He fell to the ground with his two brothers by his side._

_The evil trainers managed to surround them. He tried to bring his brothers closer but these merciless bastards pulled them away from him._

_"You must be the oldest." The man said with an evil smile on his face. "You can die first."_

_They forced him on his legs. He nearly yelped when he came face to face with the Pokémon of the leader of this band of evil trainers. It was a Salamence, a powerful dragon Pokémon that could eat humans if it wanted to and this one wanted a piece of him._

_"Bon appetite my wonderful Pokémon." He said with a laugh._

_The other trainers were laughing as he struggled to try and break free from their grasp. The Salamence opened his mouth prepared to chomp his head off. He screamed; begged for mercy even but they were going to be true to their word and kill even the children of the town._

_"Hydreigon, use your dragon pulse!"_

_He heard a voice that was different from the rest. Before he knew it, he was released when a powerful dragon attack collided with the evil dragon. Salamence took flight before it got hit and flew into the air looking for its attacker. The child looked up to see his savior. There were multiple people actually. Four older looking men that looked like sages appeared within the flames. They all looked serious as they all aimed their Pokémon toward the evil trainers. These trainers didn't stand against in this bloody battle._

_The child saw everything. The dragon that saved him looked more dangerous than the one that was about to eat him. However, to this child, this dragon was his savior…and so was the trainer that owned this brutal Pokémon._

_By the end of it all, most of the evil trainers were torn apart by the single Hydreigon. The other Pokémon didn't need to kill them. They just had to weaken them for the black and blue dragon. Not even the Salamence stood a chance against Hydreigon and was soon feasted on by it._

_"Are you okay?" Asked the same calm voice that issued mass murder against the evil trainers._

_The child looked up. His savior was different from the other three sages that stood in the back with their Pokémon by their side. This man was a tall man with long green hair and one red eye. He looked like a peacemaker from his heavenly appearance but that appearance was destroyed with the blood stains on his cloak._

_"Y-Yes…"_

_"The poor soul is traumatized." He heard one of the sages tell their leader. "He might not be worth it."_

_"There's only one way to find out." The man smiled evilly at the boy before he gave his demand. "Boy. I'll give you two options. Join Team Plasma and our cause and we will save you and your brothers from this hellhole. Refuse and my dragon will eat you for desert."_

_"I'll join." The child said almost instantly._

_"Oh? No second thoughts?"_

_The child shook his head."Y-You saved me. I-I have to do something to pay you back. I-I'll get my brothers to help you too. You're our s-savoir."_

_The man just laughed at this response as he bet the boy on his head. "You'll do fine. I wish my son was as interesting as you."_

* * *

"Cilan, please wake up! Cilan!"

The grass gym leader slowly opened his eyes to see Iris above him.

"It was only a dream…"

She frowned. "Are you okay? You were shaking in your sleep. I thought your fever was getting worse but…were you having a nightmare?"

"…Maybe…" Cilan mumbled as he tried to sit up. He instantly felt dizzy and wished he just rested his head on the pillow.

"Cilan, you need to stay in bed! You need your rest!" She told him as she forced him to lie back down.

"Axew!"

Iris smiled as her little dragon handed her a new wet washcloth to put over Cilan's head.

"Thank you Axew."

"Axew~"

As she placed the washcloth over his head, Cilan tried to figure out where he was; this wasn't a Pokémon Center for sure. The place was too cutesy to be a room in the Pokémon Center. The bed he was lying in had a blank blanket with golden butterflies on it. Were they staying in a rich person's mansion?

"Where…are we?"

"We're staying at Trip's mansion." Iris explained. "You fainted on us so we had to drag you over here because it was the only place that was nearby. You gave me a scare."

"I'm sorry…"

"No…it's okay. I'm just glad that Trip is allowing us to stay here until you feel better."

 _So this place belongs to Trip._ Cilan wondered as he glanced up toward the ceiling. The ceiling also had a black background with golden butterflies on it. In fact, the wallpaper and the rug also had the same design.

"You noticed too?" Iris asked. "Isn't it funny? Trip doesn't seem like the type of guy to like butterflies."

"No…he doesn't…"

"It's so childish but this design is so cute~"

"Axew!"

"Cute…"

Ironically, when Cilan thought of something cute, Iris' face came to mind. His face darkened a bright red again at the thought.

"In fact, this is the main design in the entire house. I wonder why he chose black and gold as the main colors."

"You should ask him."

"Nah, Bianca will probably ask about it later. Anyway, you need to take better care of yourself. We can't afford you to collapse on us again. You're an important member of the team."

"Team…"

Cilan frowned at that word. He didn't consider himself a team player at all. He was basically working for two sides. One of the three members of the Shadow Triad that served Ghetsis and Team Plasma and would commit mass murder if it was the orders of their leader, but at the same time, he was on the good guys side…Ash, Iris, Bianca and Blair who were going to do anything to stop Team Plasma if they ever saw them again.

 _I shouldn't even be with them._ Cilan thought to himself cryptically. _The longer I stay with them, the more it will hurt them when Ghetsis orders me to betray them…but…_

"Cilan…are you okay? Cilan?"

_I can't betray his trust at all. He saved our lives…but…the friends I had been denied…I finally have them…so why is he telling me to choose now? Why?_

Iris started to panic when Cilan appeared to have a seizure. He instantly fainted as she was trying to wake him up again.

"Cilan, wake up! Cilan!"

She had to think fast. She quickly rushed out of the room to get Joi the Audino to help her. Axew followed shortly after her.

Unknown to them, two shadows were lurking outside the window watching the unconscious member of the Shadow Triad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 4633 words. Notes! 
> 
> 1\. The black outline of the house with the golden butterfly is a reference to the Golden Witch Beatrice of Umineko. Now for those who watch Umineko, you should know the meaning behind the golden butterflies. While very beautiful, they're deadly…LOL whenever there are butterflies, everyone dies.
> 
> 2\. I bet you guys can guess what's wrong with the Eevee. The purple aura is a dead giveaway. Ash can see it because he is one of the few people that can use the aura. Unlike Sir Aaron or Lucario though, he doesn't manifest the power and it came at random for him in this chapter. How come Trip can see it? I rather not go into details now.
> 
> 3\. I gave a huge hint about where Cilan was when Ghetsis saved his life. However, only one of the members of the Shadow Triad mentioned that Ghetsis saved their life and they're forever grateful for him. However, the extent of what that member means by saving can be anything. How could someone like Ghetsis save lives? Well, I was thinking that Cilan's definition of save would mean something else to a normal person. Remember, I made it obvious that Cilan was the one that watched his parents murdered and his siblings fainted so they didn't see how gruesome it was. I felt like the manga hinted that Cilan was the most unstable of the three. And then if someone watches TV in Pokémon Black and White, some people gave the vibe that Cilan was the oldest of the three siblings and therefore probably knew exactly what happened to their parents. Why do you think Chili ended up all hyperactive and happy and Cress as snarky as ever while Cilan ended up the shy one of the trio to the point of thinking that he apologizes to the player for probably not being as strong as his brothers. So what I hinted here is that Cilan knows the true extent of Ghetsis' lies and knows how messed up he was but looks past it because he saved their lives…but then again, he was given a choice to live or die and Cilan chose to live. There will be more flashback dreams later but I'm just giving you readers a heads up that Ghetsis is only a saint toward Cilan's eyes…but now that he has Ash and Iris, he doesn't know who to side with.
> 
> 4\. Where is Pikachu in this chapter you might ask? He's running away from Trip's Vanillite. I'll joke about that in the next chapter.
> 
> 5\. I made a lot of references to the Orre region without actually stating it. LOL I did just now but if you guys want to know where Trip's uncle is, he's in the Orre region and is taking a ferry back to Unova. I have a firm belief that Unova and Orre are right next to each other. Why? Well for starters Unova is based on America and the east coast AKA New York City. Orre is based on the Midwest AKA Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, so if both are based on American areas, then that would mean they would be near each other if the map of Pokémon is similar to our own.
> 
> 6\. Does Bianca seem smarter in this story than she has been in the anime? Well, I kind of like to combine the anime and video game personality so while she has an upbeat personality in the anime, she's actually rather responsible in the video game…after she sorts out what she wants to do with her life. Also, the incident in Nimbasa kind of forces her to be mature since she technically is older than Ash and Iris (I think).


	5. The Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the second day at the mansion, Ash and the group are more determined to see what's behind Trip's room. Team Rocket comes to mind though as they're still trying to open THE DOOR. Ash doesn't want them getting away with anything behind it but Trip is going to let them do so. Ash can't figure out why he would allow that…but then…there was a secret entrance next to THE DOOR and then things go to hell fast…

The chaos finally died down after the first night at the mansion. With Joi going around healing Ash and Cilan to the remaining Pokémon (mainly Gurdurr) trying to patch the cracks in the wall near the kitchen, Trip didn't get a break at all. In the end, the only place that he manages to clean was the kitchen but because he tidied the place up, he didn't have time to cook. Leftovers were all there was but even with leftovers; the refrigerator was filled with good food. Despite Iris complaining that Cilan needed freshly made soup, what ended up happening was she had to go downstairs and warm up a can of chicken noodle soup.

Despite Joi not being able to talk, she was more intelligent than your average Audino that one could see at the Pokémon Center. Apparently, she could write what was wrong with Cilan on a piece of paper and what Iris needed to do to take care of him. As for Ash, she just glared at him as if calling him an idiot before leaving to do more important things than take care of the Kanto trainer.

The violent Eevee managed to calm down to a certain extent and was sleeping in the same room Ash was assigned to.

Trip was very careful of what room he assigned the group. For one thing, he would not have Team Rocket be close to any of Ash or his friend's room. However, the definition of how far they were did not change the fact that he separated the group by gender. This meant that Ash, Cilan and James (who was with Meowth) had their room in the West Wing and Iris, Bianca and Jessie had their room in the East Wing. Trip remained adamant about not telling them where his room was but it definitely wasn't on the third floor.

The photographer didn't mind if a Pokémon was let out of its Pokéball to sleep in the same room as their trainer. However, he was very skeptical about Eevee being in the guest room with Ash. He prayed that in the morning, the room wouldn't be a mess.

The Gods were listening to Trip for once as when Trip went to Ash's room first when morning came, the room was a-okay. Ash was still snoring away along with Pikachu, Oshawott (that escaped his Pokéball in the middle of the night to cuddle with Ash) and Eevee. While the room overall wasn't destroyed, Ash was unorganized even in his sleep. The pajamas that he borrowed from the wardrobe (that coincidentally had his size) were falling off of him in his sleep. He was sleeping with his foot off the bed and the blanket only covering half of his body. And what annoyed Trip the most was that his shirt was unbuttoned and he was sleeping with his mouth open.

"How does your mom handle you?" Trip asked the sleeping figure as he took a step into the guest room. He slowly made his way toward Ash and began to button his shirt back up. When he was doing it though, he got a good glimpse of the older trainer's chest. Despite looking rather childish with clothes on, he was growing some muscle. "At least you're not chubby."

Finishing with his shirt, he slowly lifted Ash's leg off the side of the bed and back into it causing the bed to creak. None of the Pokémon woke up apparently and Ash was an obvious heavy sleeper. Someone could be touching him and he wouldn't even notice. Finally, Trip threw the blanket back over him before turning to leave. Pikachu's ears twitched though as he looked up to see Ash's rival leaving. Pikachu was confused and decided to follow him.

The yellow rat slowly followed Trip step by step. He didn't notice he was being followed as he checked on Cilan next. Even though Iris was assigned her room, she stayed in Cilan's room to watch over him. The photographer realized that she didn't have a blanket and ended up going into another room to get one off that bed. Coming back to the room, he quickly wrapped it around her. Feeling satisfied, Trip left the room and closed the door behind him.

When he made it to where the stairs were, his Vanillite and Joi greeted him.

"Good morning you two, did you sleep well?" He asked in a gentle tone that Pikachu had not heard him use before.

Joi just placed her hands on her hips as she stood up tall as if saying, "Of course." Vanillite just went over to her trainer and snuggled him. Trip could only laugh kindly as he gave her his good morning hug.

"Vani~"

"I know, I know. You're hungry. I'll make that dish you like so much…but I don't think I can do any real cooking until I finish cleaning the basement."

"Puu…"

Vanillite was looking past Trip's shoulder and noticed Pikachu. She instantly jumped out of her trainer's arm and floated over to Pikachu quickly. Before Pikachu could react, she opened her mouth and bit his tail causing the electric mouse to shriek loudly.

"Pika! Pika! Pika!"

Pikachu was running around frantic with Vanillite attached to his tail. Trip groaned. With the rat's screaming everyone would wake up and he wouldn't get anything done after that.

"Vanillite, stop. It's too early in the morning." He ordered.

The ice cream Pokémon continued to smile as she let go. Pikachu ended up crashing into the wall when she did.

"Like trainer like Pokémon…go figure…"

Pikachu walked around dizzily after colliding with the wall. Joi gave a mocking laugh toward the yellow Pokémon as Vanillite smiled innocently.

"Let's go finish what we're doing." Trip told his Pokémon as he walked down the stairs ignoring Pikachu's condition.

Joi quickly followed her trainer's friend. Vanillite looked over at Pikachu, continue to smile happily and then follow her trainer. Pikachu snapped out of confusion and continued to pursue them.

* * *

When Ash finally woke up, he panicked when Pikachu wasn't sleeping right next him. He instantly jumped out of the bed and called for his Pokémon. This sudden movement woke up both Oshawott and Eevee. Ash opened the windows calling Pikachu's name despite knowing that Pikachu wouldn't jump out the third story window.

Without even thinking about his appearance, he dashed out of his room leaving the dazed Pokémon alone to call for Pikachu. His first thought that it was Team Rocket that stole Pikachu in the middle of the night and proceeded to barge into James' room first. However, when he opened the door that was already unlocked, there was no one in the room. The bed was made and everything. Instantly, his blood boiled as he started to rush downstairs and continue shouting when…

"Can you be quiet? Your voice this early in the morning gives me a headache."

Turning around, Ash saw Trip with a bowl of hot oatmeal in his hands. Vanillite was floating by his side on one side of his shoulder and the Pikachu Ash was looking for was on the other.

"Pikachu! You're okay!"

"Pika pi!"

The yellow mouse jumped off of Trip's shoulder and into the arms of his trainer. Trip just shook his head in annoyance.

"Your Pikachu is just as nosy as you. He followed me all the way to the kitchen."

Ash looked at Trip as he continued toward Cilan's room. He knocked on the door lightly. At this point, Iris just woke up and answered the door.

"Give this to Cilan. He'll feel a lot better."

"Thank you." She said with a cheeky grin as she closed the door behind her.

Trip turned around only to meet face to face with Ash.

"What do you want?"

"Umm…about breakfast…"

Instantly Ash felt that was the wrong thing to ask as he was karate chopped the minute he asked about it.

"Don't ask about breakfast. Make your own. I got stuff to do besides tending to the uninvited guests."

"Hey!"

"Change your clothes. It's embarrassing to wear those pajamas all day."

"What?" Ash looked down at the pajamas and instantly chuckled nervously.

As Trip went down the stairs again, Ash sighed in relief. Team Rocket really didn't try to take Pikachu at all.

"Pika! Pikachu!"

"What? Trip was in my room this morning?" Ash asked it.

"Pika."

"What for."

"Piiiii…Pika."

"…How embarrassing…"

Ash quickly went back to his room to change and check up on his Pokémon.

* * *

Before noon, everyone was up and ready to go. Ash spent the past hours trying to find his way around the mansion. Ash had been in huge mansions before but this was the largest one he had ever been in. When Trip refused to help him around the place that just pissed him off more.

In the end, he had to ask the Eevee he befriend yesterday to help him. Since he was a troublemaker in this place, the Eevee knew where everything was. The dirty blonde trainer was not pleased at how one Pokémon could memorize everything in his mansion.

Once Ash found the bathroom though, he was no longer irritated with the younger trainer. It's amazing what the toilet can do to calm one's soul.

His Oshawott was waiting for him at the door. While it would be creepy for most people for a Pokémon with huge eyes waiting for his male trainer to finish taking a dump, Ash didn't seem to mind one bit…however, he wanted Oshawott back in his Pokéball while he was still walking around.

There were more important things that Ash wanted to deal with first. Iris and Bianca had the same idea when they followed Team Rocket who was walking to the lower area. There, they placed their technology in front of a huge gray door that stood out from the rest. While most of the mansion was black and gold with the doors being a bright orange color, this door was a shiny metallic gray with holes bordering the entire doorframe.

"Looks like this won't work either." James started as he tried to search for something on the laptop to open the door.

"Does this door have any other way of opening besides the key?" Jessie asked getting quite exasperated from the whole thing.

"At this point, I think there isn't anything we can do."

"Dammit."

The trio looked up to see the twerps spying on them. They just glared and chose to ignore them. They weren't after Pokémon this time so they have no right to disturb them. Trip came through the hallway shortly after with lots of microwaveable food. He brought way too much but lucky for him, Ash and the girls were there so it would get eaten.

"Kid," James began, "there is no way to open that door without a key."

"…I'm certain there is another way…"

"So, what's behind the door?" Bianca asked starting to get excited. She was probably the only one munching on the unhealthy potato chips instead of eating the healthy fruit that Trip also brought with the microwaveable food.

Trip didn't really have a problem talking about the door so he decided to just say what he knew. "I don't know exactly. All I know is that it's something of extreme importance. If my mom made it impossible to open without a key, then there is something she doesn't want anyone getting. You can attack the door with a Pokémon, you can try to blow it up, you can try to burn the house to the ground but the door isn't going down. I don't know what my mom used to make this particular door, but it's way too powerful."

"You would think there would be a password in case you lost the key."

"…" Trip looked away ashamed. "I…really don't know where I put that key…however…I know I should have had found it by now…with all the cleaning I've been doing this past week. "

"Do you need help looking for it?"

Ash was offering to help Trip with something important. The younger trainer shook his head. "I'll find it by myself. I'll probably find it by the time you guys leave."

Trip excused himself from the group with his Vanillite following him to wherever he was going to clean next. Ash swore that Trip was like the Mr. Mime that lived with them. Always cleaning even if the place was already tidy.

"What a kid…" Iris muttered. "He could have at least told us what he needs on the other side of the door."

"What do you three want behind the door?" Bianca just had to ask.

Team Rocket just smirked as a response.

"What does a rich woman like to hide behind a door that can only be opened with a key?" Jessie asked. She answered her own question though. "Diamonds, pearls and all the rare jewelry in the world."

"Don't forget bags of money." James added with a smirk.

"And rare Pokémon!" Meowth included. "The kid said as long as we can open the door, we'd be able to have whatever we want behind it."

Trip was way too generous. Ash wouldn't be able to convince his rival that these three were up to no good but Trip didn't seem to care about what was behind the door as long as someone could open it. However, the more he thought about it, the more Ash came to the conclusion that Trip was willing to ask for Team Rocket's help to open the door by force if there was something behind it that he treasured dearly…like a hint about why his mom is so cruel to him…but that's only a theory.

"I don't see how it could be hard to find one little key…" Iris muttered.

"We thought that too." James replied, "but this mansion is huge. Even if he searched the entire place and cleaned it, he wouldn't be able to find the key if he misplaced it."

"Really? I thought he was lying."

"That's what we've been thinking." James continued. "For the past week, there has been too many contradictions whenever he talks to us."

"What do you mean?" Bianca asked.

"For example, he keeps saying that there are multiple ways to break the door. However, from what we've examined, the only way to open this door is the key that he cannot find in this mansion. We have tried attacking it and security has been breeched."

"That's not what we're worried about though." Jessie interrupted.

"Right, we're more concerned about his claims about no one being here for a while."

"He told us yesterday that his uncle was here." Ash recalled.

"I think he said something about there being a party too…" Bianca added on.

James nodded his head. "It almost feels like he's hiding something…"

"What could Trip hide?" Ash ended up asking.

Iris just sighed. "There's no point in wondering. He's a kid with his own secrets."

When she said that though, she leaned against a nearby wall against the door. She instantly shrieked when the wall gave in and she fell through. That caught everyone from surprise, as apparently, there was a long way down before she hit her head against something in the new dark room.

"Oww…"

"Iris, are you okay?" Ash called out.

"Yeah…just shocked me there for a little bit."

Team Rocket was rather stunned to see a hidden door next to the locked one.

"That's odd. We touched the wall multiple times and the wall didn't budge…" Meowth muttered.

"Really? I think you just missed a check point." Ash joked.

Iris continued to ramble downstairs. It was too dark for her so she searched for a light switch. She felt something wet though when she touched the wall. She didn't know what it was before she flicked the switch on. When she did, she looked at her hand and gasped.

_Blood?_

"Axew?"

She didn't respond to her dragon immediately. Slowly looking in front of her, she saw something that she would never be able to leave her mind. Instantly she screamed.

"? Iris?"

Ash was the first one to rush down the stairs to see if his friend was all right despite Bianca calling out to him that it was too dark to go down. He met her at the bottom of the stairs. Her legs had given up on her when she fell to the floor trying to shield her eyes what she could not be seen.

"Iris, what happened?"

She didn't speak. She was too scared to in fear that if she opened her mouth again, she would scream again.

Ash ended up looking in front of him to see what the hell she was screaming about. His jaw instantly dropped at the sight before him.

"Oh my…"

Ash didn't need to finish his sentence. Bianca and Team Rocket soon came down the stairs too. Instantly, Bianca screamed at the sight before her. Team Rocket was left speechless.

Behind this door…were two bodies. Both were males that looked to be in there forties. One had a rope wrapped around his neck and was hoisted up in the air. The other was chained to an old fashion table filled…

If one could describe both bodies, one could see that these men were deader than dead and judging from their bodies, they looked like they've been like this for a week at the very least. The one that was hung from the ceiling had multiple stab wounds in the back. The knives that were used to stab him were left in him, as the killer didn't bother taking them out. His head drooped so low that it looked like that his neck snapped at this point if the saliva that continued to fall down his mouth didn't give that away…

While seeing that corpse was horrifying, the more terrifying one was the one that was chained to the table. The most disturbing thing about this body was how he was killed. He had seven nails hammered into him. One on each limb, one in the stomach, one in the groin and finally, one in the middle of his face. This was probably the last place the killer nailed him.

No matter what, both had the same expression when killed…fear.

"W-W-W-What is THIS?" Bianca continued to scream.

No one bothered to calm her down. If Blair was there, he would did just that but without a calm trainer near them, Bianca was left in panicked fit. Ash and Iris were too scared to move. This is where Team Rocket came in. James instantly snapped out of it and walked over to the dead bodies.

"Looks like they've been dead for a week." James began but his voice was rather shaky. "What a horrible way to go."

Jessie had to put her hand to her nose. "It stinks in here too."

"What does it smell like?" Meowth asked. He had no nose so he couldn't smell the bad stench that came from the dead bodies.

"Like a rotten corpse."

"T-That's not funny!" Iris shouted. "T-This is serious! W-Why does Trip have dead bodies stored here?"

Team Rocket was more focused on the room itself. They didn't find this entrance despite working next to the door for a week at best. Yet, here was another room where the key could have been to open the door next to this one.

"Maybe the key is in the pocket's of one of these dead corpse." Meowth suggested.

"D-Don't touch that!" Bianca shrieked. "What happens if it came alive?"

"People can't come back from the dead." James reassured her. "Plus, this proves that the kid has been hiding something from us."

Ash was still at a lost of words. He was still trying to process the dead bodies in front of him. Why did his rival have them? Did he have something to do with their cruel, unusual death?"

"S-Should we report this to the police?" Iris questioned in a panicked stone still. "I-If we don't do something, we're hiding the bodies."

"There's no need for that."

Bianca instantly screamed again when she heard a new voice. Ash snapped out of it when he recognized it as Trip's voice. The blonde trainer had every reason to scream though. In Trip's hand, he had a hatchet that was covered in blood. No one could read the expression he had on his face when he said those words.

"T-Trip."

Meowth instantly pointed the finger at the photographer. "So it was you! You killed them."

"No, I didn't." Trip said rather quickly and in an expressionless tone of voice. "They were like that for a while now."

Everyone had eyes on Trip as he walked past them. Once he made it past them, he hung the hatchet on the wall completely ignoring the dead bodies.

"So don't go accusing me of being a killer."

"Then stop acting so god damn calm!" Iris cursed. "These are dead people for gods sake!"

Trip looked at the two bodies and sighed. "I don't see why you need to freak out."

He prepared to leave but Team Rocket felt like he was going to pull something on them. The young trainer stopped as he turned to them. "By the way, when you guys leave the mansion, I would advise you not to mention this to anyone. This is for your own safety…just saying."

For a second, Ash thought he heard Trip cackle when he left the hidden room. However, he could have been hallucinating at this point because he was feeling very faint. Iris was calling out to him when he collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 4121 words. Notes! 
> 
> 1\. This chapter was suppose to build suspense which is why I kind of left out Cilan in this chapter. He's still sick so he'll probably be the only person that doesn't know about the bodies…or will he? I think the next chapter might focus on him…maybe…
> 
> 2\. Ash's Eevee plays no focus in this chapter really. I was just trying to add to the horror of the chapter so I kind of left most of the Pokémon out.
> 
> 3\. The dead bodies…can you guess what the hell happened to them and why they're there in the first place? And why the hell did Trip have a hatchet WITH BLOOD on it? Is he trying to imitate Rena or did he really kill someone? XD I'll leave that up to you until I explain what happened in next chapters. However, I'm going to have Trip force the group into thinking, "You saw nothing."
> 
> 4\. Oh yeah...so about Trip at the end. Whether or not he's laughing is up to interpretation. And no, Trip did not poison Ash with the microwaveable food. Someone would be throwing up at this point of time but I'll leave that for the next chapter.


	6. The Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension starts to rise between Trip and his guests and Trip takes no action to defend himself, but while he's thinking of ways to try and prove that he's not guilty, he overhears a conversation between Cilan and his brothers that he shouldn't have heard…

_It was an all night party. He didn't understand why he had to attend to these older men when they could hire a slut to do the work for them. They had the money. One of the seven men there had decent looks compared to the other ugly guys so why did a ten year old have to serve them beer and make them crazier?_

_"And the kid looked so shocked when we ambushed him!" One of the men announced. "It was hilarious!"_

_"We're going to get promoted!" Declared another. "We did something that those Cipher idiots couldn't do!"_

_"Of course!" Their leader apparently said. He was just as ugly as the rest of them. He had blonde hair that he obviously bleached and a red shirt that made his rather large figure show. "They had such a hard time taking out one little kid! Why must they battle with a kid when the easiest thing to do is to simply ambush and steal all the Pokémon he snagged from us?"_

_"You're brilliant boss!"_

_"I know I am!" He turned his direction to the kid in the corner of the room who was trying to leave this filthy room. "Hey Trip, get me another beer and make it snappy!"_

_"…Whatever…"_

_"What did you say?"_

_He was already drunk so it didn't matter how much he talked. His uncle would still yell at him. He wondered why the hell he let his uncle in the first place. It was probably the fear of knowing that he'll call his dad if he didn't and tell him where he was now. He left the room to get another huge bottle of beer and set it on the table in the middle. At this point, these men were wasted. Just a few more drinks and they'll be passed out on the floor with a terrible hangover in the morning._

_His uncle didn't even thank him when the beer was being poured. He just shook his head in disgust as he tried to leave. However, the only decent looking man was the one that grabbed his arm._

_"What the hell do you want? I already served your drinks five times tonight!"_

_He was at his limit with how much he can tolerate. This man didn't seem to care as he continued to stare at his face._

_"You know…you really look your mother…-hic-"_

_"That's nice now let me go."_

_"Trip, stop being a brat and let him do what he wants with you. It's not like your mother would refuse sex from a sexy man like him."_

_His uncle started laughing similar to a hyena. The others joined in the chorus to. He was appalled by how these older men acted. When someone is drunk, they lose the will to think anymore. Whatever his uncle said didn't matter because he was long gone after so many drinks. He just wished they would drink so much alcohol that they would die from alcohol poisoning. It's not like he would be blamed for murder or anything._

_"Fuck you." Was all he cursed at them as he slapped the arm away and left the room. The men were still laughing at him when he did. "Just you bastards wait…karma will hit you guys…"_

* * *

Trip didn't understand what the big deal over dead bodies was about. Actually, that was a huge deal but Trip had already developed nerves of steel after watching so many horror movies. Seeing a dead body in real life didn't really affect him. The bodies in the hidden room…he really didn't understand why they were there in the first place. He just assumed that either his mom or his uncle killed those two men and then hid their bodies in the basement away from authorities. His mother was above the law at this point of time because of the man she ran away with who was one of the wealthiest people in Unova. His uncle wasn't above the law. That was a good thing because if he was caught, he would probably get the life sentence. Regardless, Trip was under the assumption that he needed to hide a body and the best place was the hidden room next to the door. All in all, it really didn't matter to him at all. He wasn't a murderer.

"Puu…"

Trip glanced at his Vanillite who was worried about him. He smiled sadly as he stroked her head gently. "I'm sorry if I'm worrying you. I'm alright…I really am…"

"Puu…"

Even though he said that though and he already knew in his mind that he wasn't a killer, he left a bad impression on everyone that saw that room. He couldn't care less if they thought of him as a killer…but in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't true at all. He cared what people thought of him…especially Ash recently. He didn't know why he had to keep a strong image for him but it might have been because he didn't want Ash to see him weak. Well, being seen as a killer was worse than being seen as a weakling…he had to clear up the misunderstanding eventually but now wasn't the time.

He went back to Cilan's room despite Iris and Bianca screaming at Ash to wake up. He must have fainted from the shock from what the photographer could hear. It didn't matter. Paige's Audino would go downstairs and take care of him. Hopefully, she would be smart enough to close the hidden door and make it clear that they didn't see anything.

As he reached the door, he stopped when he heard voices on the other end. At first, he thought Cilan was up and talking on the phone to someone. However, he got curious and opened the door slightly so he could see through a little crack. Peaking inside the room, he saw two shadowy figures standing above the sick gym leader. Trip had never seen these people before and knew they were up to no good judging from their outfits. He almost made himself known when he saw them take off their masks revealing themselves to be Cilan's brothers Cress and Chili.

"Cilan, you were careless to get sick." Cress spoke in a rather cruel tone. "You know you can't afford to mess up."

"I'm sorry…" Cilan ended up apologizing even though it wasn't his fault.

"Go easy on him Cress." Chili told him. "Everyone gets sick every now and then. Besides, it's always Cilan that takes care of us when we get sick."

"That's not the problem. He's relying on other people to take care of him. Especially that gym leader's apprentice." He ended up adding the last one to spite the green haired trainer.

"What can I say? Iris is really good at medicine."

"…You're missing the point." Cress continued. "You're letting people into your heart and changing you. You're forgetting who you really are and your purpose in life."

"I know what I'm supposed to do!" Cilan suddenly snapped that shocked the two brothers. "You don't have to remind me every time you see me! I know what I'm doing on this journey! I'm trying to check if Ash is the hero of legend that can awaken Zekrom! I'm only traveling with him to confirm that and nothing else!"

"…You seem way too happy to be on this journey than you need to be or is that a façade?" Cress continued to press.

"…I don't know anymore…I just…"

"Cress, I think that's enough." Chili told the water gym leader. "We just came here to warn him about Master Ghetsis and his orders."

Cress sighed as both brothers prepared to put their mask on. "This is your last warning Cilan. The next time you decide to choose these friends that you consider to be nothing but pawns anyway over your brothers and your master, and then we won't be able to protect you from the authorities about that bombing."

"! I had nothing to do with that though!"

"…You know that idiot Looker is on the case now."

"!"

Chili groaned. "That sucks! I mean, he's basically looking for two members of Team Plasma, but as incompetent as he is, he'll always accuse the innocent first and you're probably on his list if he puts two and two together. We won't be able to save you if he arrests you…and Master Ghetsis will order us to not get you out."

Cilan was stunned into silence. His fists started to shake but whether it was in fear or anger was up to interpretation.

"So you're basically saying is that I'm supposed to take the Shadow Pokémon that are in this area and then deliver it to you guys if I want to show Master Ghetsis I'm still loyal to him?"

"Either that or capture Pokémon that aren't yours and deliver it to him. You know how Master Ghetsis is about Cipher." Chili told him. "I don't get it! Team Plasma and Cipher can be the most dangerous combination but Master Ghetsis chooses to oppose them and take the Shadow Pokémon they met for themselves."

"He's that kind of selfish person…" Cilan ended up saying.

His brothers were silent. This was probably the first time that Cilan insulted the true leader of Team Plasma but at this point, it didn't matter to them. They all knew he was a cruel, selfish man that abused his only son but they still owed him their life and will follow him to the ends of the earth. Cilan couldn't really do that anymore now that he met Ash, Iris and basically everyone on his journey.

"You know what they say about masquerade parties?" Cress asked Cilan suddenly.

"…What?"

"They will come to an end. When the masks are up and the identity of the wearer of said mask is revealed, everything you built up will be lost at that moment. Look what happened to Romeo and Juliet."

"They died because of their stupidity." Cilan stated rather darkly. "If they just fucking listened to their parents or tried to reason with them, then all the blood, sweat and tears could have been avoiding."

"You're doing the same thing now." Cress finished. "If you choose your so called friends over your family then many people will die. You know that better than anyone."

With that said the Striation Gym Leaders put their mask on and then disappeared in a flash leaving Cilan alone in the room to think about the consequences of his action.

Trip heard everything and didn't know what to say.

 _…So…Cilan is part of Team Plasma._ Trip thought to himself. _Does that mean he let me win in the first round…because he was afraid of his skills giving a huge hint of who he really was? And what's this about Shadow Pokémon? Is this what my uncle was talking about when he was drunk that time? Is that why the Eevee that Ash befriended is so vicious?_

"Who's there?" Trip suddenly heard Cilan ask in a dark tone. The photographer decided that the best set of action was to open the door.

"What, you call?" He asked. "I'm still cleaning. You need me to get you more food?"

Trip was very good at playing the fool. Cilan glared at him before he went back to his kind, benevolent self.

"No…I just thought someone was at the door the entire time, but if you say you just got to the door…then…"

Trip just nodded his head as he took the bowl of oatmeal that was empty. "…I was planning to cook tonight." Trip began in a rather nervous tone. "If you feel better by then, I was hoping you would help me…"

Cilan was surprised that Trip was asking for help. He wasn't in the mood to do anything at all but he couldn't be rude to the photographer. He had to play it off that there wasn't a conversation in the room just now.

"We'll see if I feel better."

Trip nodded his head again as he quickly left the room and closed the door behind him. The young trainer came to the conclusion that he couldn't trust Cilan at all.

* * *

Ash slowly came to in the living room. He tried to remember what the hell happened. Then he recalled the dead bodies in the hidden room and Trip having no reaction to a corpse, which was why Ash was he was scared in the first place. When he sat up though from lying from the couch, he suddenly felt nauseous and his stomach was starting to churn. Quickly standing up, he rushed to the nearest bathroom that happened to be the door right next to the living room on the right. He just let it all out as he opened the toilet and hurled.

"Ash, are you okay?" He could hear Bianca asking him.

He couldn't respond but it was obvious that he wasn't okay. The normal reaction to see a dead corpse was hurling. Hopefully, Trip wouldn't be mad at him throwing up in the toilet but that wasn't the problem at all.

Bianca must have had experience of people throwing up because she went inside and rubbed his back as Ash was still coughing trying to prevent from throwing up one more time. It was a disgusting feeling but those dead bodies…

The blonde trainer ended up leaving the bathroom and coming back with a glass of water.

"You might want to rinse out your mouth first." She warned him.

"I will…thank you…" Ash replied weakly as he flushed the toilet first, closed the lid cover and then proceeded to wash his mouth in the sink.

"Pika pi…"

Pikachu was on Bianca's shoulder. He was worried for his trainer just as much as his other friends were. Once Ash rinsed his mouth, he took the glass of water and gulped it down. His stomach was feeling better at this point when he set the glass down.

"Thanks Bianca. You're a life saver."

"Don't mention it."

As the two made it out of the bathroom, Ash glanced around the room and couldn't find the Eevee. "Where is Eevee?"

Bianca frowned. "He freaked out at the sight too. Iris is calming him down but it's not working without you there."

"I see…"

Bianca might have stopped crying but she was trembling all over still. She was scared of being in this mansion now. She would rather be outside in the rain over being in here now.

"Ash…I'm scared of Trip…"

"Bianca…"

Her eyes started to water again as she tried to prevent herself from crying. "I'm really scared! I thought he was just a normal kid like the rest of us at that tournament! But now that this happened, I'm scared to think that he's…he's…"

"Don't think that!" Ash shouted at her which made her look up to see his weak but determined eyes. "We can't make accusations about him at all until he tells us his side of the story."

"I-I know that but did you see his reaction to the bodies? He didn't react at all! That's creepy and not normal for a kid like him!"

She made a huge point. A normal reaction would be to scream your head off at the body, faint or throw up. Trip did none of that. He just proceeded to put the bloody hatchet back on the wall and leave while telling them that they didn't see anything. It almost sounded like he was threatening them with their lives if they spilled a word of this to the public. To Ash that didn't sound like Trip at all…then again…none of them knew much about Trip because he always kept things to himself…

"Ee-vee!"

The Eevee Ash befriended came running down the halls and jumped into Ash's arm shuddering.

"I'm sorry to have worried you." Ash told the little normal Pokémon softly as he stroked his fur.

Iris came following after Eevee soon after exhausted with Axew in her hair.

"Man that Eevee is so hard to take care of!" Iris complained. "I don't understand why it's so aggressive!"

"I don't know either, but we'll find out hopefully." Ash told her. He looked both of them straight in the eyes. "You two…I think we should ask Trip what's going on instead of accusing him of being a killer."

Iris started to tremble remembering the dead bodies. "B-But why?"

"Why? Because we should trust Trip on something like this instead of just pointing the finger."

"But Team Rocket is already doing that!" Iris exclaimed. "There's nothing to explain."

"There is! Do you think Trip has the nerve to kill someone?"

"…No…but…"

"Then we have to talk to him. I have faith in him that he's not a killer. You girls should have faith in him too. I'm sure he has a reason for acting like that."

Both girls stared at each other in worry. They didn't know what to think with the dead bodies, but maybe Ash was right and they just needed an explanation. If Team Rocket wouldn't hear him out, then they would at least.

When they both nodded their heads weakly, Ash pumped his fist. Even after throwing up from nausea, he was still hyperactive and ready to go.

"Alright! I'm pretty sure Trip is in the training room! We'll go upstairs and get his mind and our minds of what happened this afternoon!"

Ash quickly dashed through the hallway with the Eevee in his arms. Pikachu called out to his trainer and just looked at Bianca hoping she would run soon after. Iris just chuckled nervously.

"I'm really starting to think that Ash is a stalker if he already knows where Trip is now…"

"Really? I think its love." Bianca said simply trying to lighten the mood.

Iris had no idea what Bianca was talking about and just followed Ash. Hopefully, they would have a good explanation of what was going on in this mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Done with 4012 words. Notes! 
> 
> 1\. I already know if Trip is guilty of murder or not but what you readers need to figure out with vague hints is if Trip could pull it off…well…
> 
> 2\. As you already know, this story seems to cross over with Pokémon XD, Gale of Darkness. Actually, what I mean to say is that I'm almost positive that Unova and Orre are in the same area. However, I made it obvious in the flashback that the kid that Trip's uncle and his men beat up was the protagonist of Pokémon XD, Michael. If it was Wes, he would kick their ass but because Michael isn't badass like Wes is, he was going to get ambushed. And this is something smart too. Why try to battle with Pokémon when you could just put him to sleep or beat him up before he gets his Pokémon out in the first place? I'm going to mention that more in this story when you could easily attack someone before they get a Pokémon out.
> 
> 3\. I find it funny as a complete monster like Ghetsis doesn't team up with a whole organization full of complete monsters. Ghetsis is an evil human being that could fit into the organization. However, because he's a selfish man, he would attack his only allies and even though Cipher has high potential of teaming up with him according to the Shadow Triad, Ghetsis being too greedy will come back to bite him in the ass hard. This is why I have Ghetsis antagonistic to Cipher despite the similarities they share.
> 
> 4\. The Romeo and Juliet reference is a bad thing to be compared to in my book. I wanted to use something more intelligent but I found this Shakespeare play to fit Cilan more than Hamlet. They chose their lover over their family and ended up dying in the end because of how stupid they were being and made their families suffer for all of eternity despite the family feud stopping. Cress is simply saying that if Cilan acts like Romeo, then the important people close to him will end up dead.
> 
> 5\. Trip is acting he has Hinazawa Syndrome…LOL! Wait…that wouldn't be a good thing…he already lost his trust in Cilan from the conversation but isn't going to show it until later…
> 
> 6\. The flashback is actually very important. Pay attention to the details in the flashback because I'm bringing that up in later chapters.


	7. Reverse Mode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash, Iris and Bianca try to get Trip to tell him what is up with the dead bodies but his lips are sealed. Ash decides that the only way of getting Trip to talk is through a Pokémon battle. Trip agrees only because he has nothing better to do now that he finished cleaning. When Ash decides to use the Eevee he befriended, it enters a mode called Reverse Mode that is making it more violent. Ash doesn't understand what happened to this Eevee but he knows that it has something to do with Trip's uncle that Trip finally goes into some detail about…

_He finally got away from those annoying drunkards. Trip glanced up at a certain room that was near the bottom floor. He did not know why his mother made her room on the first floor but Trip just assumed it was because of the sliding door that leads to the garden outside._

_He didn't understand his mother at all. She hated his guts yet she was kind enough to build a mansion that was meant for the both of them to live him. He still wondered why she never took him with her when she left his father. Trip didn't want to live with his loser father he couldn't pull himself together after his wife left. No, Trip would rather be with a strong parent…even if she hit him multiple times for not living up to her expectations._

_I don't get her at all. Trip told himself as he ended up opening her wardrobe. In actuality, it wasn't her wardrobe. It was a wardrobe filled with cosplay clothes that his mom bought from other regions. His mom had a thing for beautiful dresses especially from that one series they both read in that short amount of time they got along._

_Trip got obsessed with that series mainly due to the fact that this series had a coping mechanism if you have distant parents. The dirty blonde assumed that if you really loved your mother, you'll forgive her, no matter how much she attacked you. Trip took that to heart and he would do anything in his power to find out why she hates his guts in the first place…and it all starts with the door._

_The photographer searched the wardrobe hoping he would find that key that his uncle wanted him to find. Even though this wardrobe was huge, there was no key that would fit in that door. While he didn't find a key, he found a small black dress that could fit him with a matching black crown and a cute gold witch staff._

_"She knew who I liked the most…" Trip mumbled to himself as he took it out._

_It didn't take a genius to know that Trip's favorite character in Umineko no Naku Koro ni was the little girl named Maria Ushiromiya. She was the girl that had high hopes for the Golden Witch known as Beatrice. If she believed that Beatrice existed, then Trip would too but not in the realistic sense. Her words that magic can be used for anything like fixing broken candy can also mend a broken relationship. Even if Maria wasn't real, Trip would believe in the Golden Witch for her in real life._

_The dress wasn't that hard to put on at all despite the frills on it. Trip knew how to put on a dress simply because his mother would force him to wear girly clothes when they were still family. Trip did not understand why she insisted that he be a girl when he was a boy. No matter how smart he was, he would not be able to solve that mystery._

_"I need to stop wearing dresses…" Trip told himself as he was planning to take it off. However, he stopped when he heard footsteps coming to the room. "! Who's there? Gurdurr, is that you?"_

_It wasn't his Pokémon to his horror. It was one of the drunken guys from the top floor. Somehow, he made it all the way to the bottom of the mansion without fainting. He stopped at the doorway to get a look at the young trainer._

_"Maddalen…is…that you my dolly? –hic-"_

_Trip started to back up when he saw the perverted look on his face as he licked his licks._

_"Maddalen..why betway me?"_

_He was rushing toward him at such a speed that Trip barely had time to dodge his advances._

_"I'm not her dammit!" Trip cursed as he hit him with the staff. To his horror, the man grabbed the staff and snapped it in half._

_"No more wunning –hic- away! You mine!"_

_He was a dangerous drunk and Trip didn't have his Pokémon nearby. His only hope was to get out into the garden. As the man pounced him, Trip took the black crown off his head and threw it in his face. The man yelped in pain as he stumbled back. The young trainer used this opportunity to open the door to the garden and escape._

_"Come back here my sweet~"_

_"Dammit! How did he recover so fast?" Trip asked out loud as he tried to lose him in the rose fields. He hated the fact that he wore high heels with the dress and ended up tripping near an isolated area in the garden. "Shit!"_

_The man caught up with him fast. Drool was collecting on his mouth as he wiped it away._

_"I got you where I want you~" He purred as he got closer._

_"No…stay back…I'm not her…" Trip tried to tell him._

_He ended up shrieking in an unmanly voice when he felt his arms being grabbed._

_"Fuck, let me go!" He cursed as he tried to kick his attacker away._

_"Come to papa!"_

_Everything really was a blur after that. He kicked and screamed for help but his Pokémon were too far into the mansion to do anything. His uncle wasn't going to save him from his friend from having his way with his brother's son and no one he knew certainly wasn't going to save him, but everything was suddenly turning red…like the rose petals that were falling all around him…_

* * *

 

Trip managed to snap out of his trance. He couldn't believe that he zoned out in the middle of mopping the floor in the training room. He groaned at the thought of that disgusting night.

 _I don't even know what happened that night._ Trip told himself. _And I don't want to remember._

"Puu…"

Trip looked at his Vanillite but looking beyond his ice cream Pokémon, his Servine was there too. Both were worried for their trainer.

"I'm fine…I just spaced out a little…haven't had that much sleep recently…"

"Servine!"

Before had the chance to continue…

"HEY TRIP!"

"Dammit…not him again…" Trip grumbled as he witness Ash barge into the training room looking more determined as ever. Even two dead bodies couldn't affect him for long. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Trip, we need to talk." He said in a serious tone.

The photographer rolled his eyes in annoyance. It was probably about those bodies.

"I didn't kill them. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Iris and Bianca managed to get in the doorway when he said that. It was obvious to him that Ash left them in the dust.

"Uh…"

Trip sighed. "How annoying." He had to set the mop against the wall in order to have a serious conversation with this idiot from Kanto. "Look, those types of things don't startle me as much. I'm use to seeing that sort of thing because of my parents' occupation."

"But your mother is an actor!" Bianca pointed out. He hated how observant she was at this moment. "Why would she need to kill?"

"She does a lot of shady things behind the scenes…and it's that man's fault…" He replied rather harshly.

"Who is he?" Ash asked turning to Bianca thinking she might know.

"Umm…I'm trying to remember his name…umm…I think his name is…"

"Rugal." Said another voice.

Iris was horrified at the new appearance. "Cilan! You should be in bed!"

Bianca and Ash turned to their oldest companion with worry. He chuckled nervously. "Don't worry about it. I'm feeling a little better now so I can walk around at the very least."

Trip was still glaring at him because of the mention of the name. "Yeah…that's that bastard's name. He's the richest man in Unova but with great riches comes great evil."

"Evil?"

The group was confused at why Trip would refer this man as evil. Cilan had some idea though and added on.

"There are some rumors going around in the tabloids," Cilan explained to them, "Rugal is a man that is known for his ruthlessness and his childish tendencies that are rather psychotic. They say that if he doesn't get his way, he orders his men to kidnap the person that had done in wrong and shoots them down himself."

"That's not a rumor, it's a fact." Trip corrected. "I don't know how anyone could go with a guy that is willing to kill anything that gets in his way."

"Does she know?" Iris asked in a worried tone.

"She does…and she doesn't care…in fact…my mom…stated in an interview that because this man is different from my dad that he's a different turn on and she considers him more exciting than my dad…"

"They seem like a happy couple." Cilan couldn't help but mock.

Trip didn't say anything to that. He just turned away to get the mop. "…If that's all you want to know, can you leave before you add footprints to the area where I mopped?"

"Wait…what?"

And of course Ash messes up again. When he tried to walk toward Trip, he slipped on the slippery floor and ended up sliding all the way to the other side of the room crashing into a machine of some sorts.

"Ash!" Iris called out but unlike him, she just stood there because the floor was VERY slippery.

"Idiot." Trip said simply as he shook his head.

"Serv." His Servine agreed.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Ash tried to get up…only to fall down again.

"You know, just stay there until the floor is dry." Trip suggested in a sarcastic tone. "You're not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I got it…"

He didn't get it. He fell on his face again. Trip's Vanillite found this amusing and just laughed at his failure. Ash's friends just looked the other way embarrassed to see Ash screwing up again and Cilan being Cilan just facepalmed at the scene.

"Pika pi…"

"Uhh…oww…"

Trip ended up giving in and ended up helping Ash off the floor.

"Uh…thanks Trip…"

"Just get out of here before you add more smudges to the floor."

Ash frowned at how cold Trip was being. He had an idea though that could probably cheer him up now that he was in the training room.

"Hey! I have an idea! Why don't we have a battle."

"…Right now?"

"Yeah! I'll use Eevee and you can use whatever Pokémon you want."

"Ash, is that a good idea?" Iris asked. "That Eevee isn't yours."

Cilan wasn't aware that Ash had an Eevee at all until he saw it on the floor next to Pikachu and Vanillite. He looked delighted at the idea. Trip however just rolled his eyes again.

"If I have a battle with you, will you finally leave me alone?"

Ash grinned. "I can't guarantee you that."

"Fine…Servine, let's go."

His Servine seemed thrilled to battle after a long week of doing nothing. He happily walked over to one side of the battlefield while Ash slowly made his way to the other side fearing he might slip again.

"This is like Pryce's gym…" Ash muttered to himself as he finally made it to the other side in one piece.

"You can do it!" Bianca was already cheering. Cilan did not appreciate her raising her voice, as he was still not feeling well.

"Aright Eevee, this is our first battle, let's do our best." Ash encouraged the little fox like Pokémon.

"Eevee!"

Cilan wasn't feeling too hot to host the match but apparently, he had no choice again. Iris worried for his wellbeing but she wasn't good with being the referee.

"This one on one battle will now begin. Each trainer will only use one Pokémon…-cough-"

Because Cilan was sick, Trip felt like this battle needed to end fast. "If you're not going to start Ash, then I will. Servine, use cut attack!"

Both of his Servine's hands began to glow a bright white color as it charged toward Eevee with top speed.

"Counter it with tackle!" Ash ordered.

Eevee obeyed as he tackled Servine with equally fast speed. The attack cancelled out but Trip wasn't done.

"Now use leaf tornado!" Trip ordered.

Servine jumped into the air as it began to spin. With his tail in the air, he whipped out a leaf tornado that was sent toward his opponent. Eevee was caught in the vortex and then hoisted into the air. The tornado then slammed Eevee to the ground and disappeared.

"Eevee!" Ash called out.

Trip just shook his head. "I guess it wasn't as strong as I originally thought it was."

"Eevee! You got to get up! Try another tackle attack."

Eevee quickly got up. However when he did, he started to lower it's head and growl. It didn't take a genius to see that it was going to lash out violently again. Ash closed his eyes for a second and then saw a red aura around his Pokémon. Ash remembered seeing this red aura before but he still didn't understand what it meant.

His Eevee did charge Servine head on but instead of a simple tackle that did average damage, Servine was hit by a powerful charge filled with dark energy. Servine didn't expect to take much damage and was sent flying. However, he stopped himself from crashing into the wall by using vine whip.

"What move was that?" Iris ended up asking Cilan despite his condition.

"…I don't know…" Cilan replied. However, his eyes told Iris that he was lying and he did know what that move was.

"Servine, are you okay?" Trip asked.

"Serv…ine."

"…Use leech seed!"

Servine obeyed as he shot a seed from his mouth. Eevee managed to dodge it. Trip noted that Eevee's speed increased when it was in rage mode.

"Eevee, use bite!" Ash ordered.

His Eevee disobeyed Ash. Trip should have known that Eevee wouldn't listen to someone like Ash but it ended up using that same powerful tackle on Servine again.

"Coil!" The photographer ordered.

His grass snake coiled himself up to reduce the damage. However, even this was not enough to block the insane damage he took from whatever attack Eevee was using.

"Grab Eevee with vine whip!"

When Eevee was going to attack him again, Servine grabbed it with its vines that appeared from its shoulder. He was going to throw Eevee toward Ash but…

"Come on Eevee! Listen to me! Use bite!"

Eevee struggled to break free but he still wouldn't listen to Ash.

"EEVEE!"

The red aura around Eevee disappeared again and changed to its original purple color. Eevee snapped out of its rage and bit Servine's vine before he had a chance to throw him. Servine yelped as it tried to throw Eevee.

"! Servine!"

Eevee manage to get himself out of the vine's grip as it stared his opponent down.

"Eevee, finish with take down!" Ash ordered.

The normal Pokémon surprisingly knew that move and charged recklessly.

"Don't give up Servine! Defeat it with slam!"

Servine tried to block the attack with its tail. While Eevee manage to land a critical hit, there was damage recoil. Servine took the blow and then slammed Eevee with his tail. The attack was very powerful and Eevee ended up collapsing.

"Eevee!" Ash called out as he rushed over to his Pokémon.

It wasn't just Eevee that fainted. Servine collapsed shortly afterward, surprising Trip.

"Servine!"

"Both sides are unable to continue." Cilan stated the obvious. "This match is a draw!"

Trip wanted to rush over to his Servine to see if it was okay, but because he was in front of Ash and his friend's though he simply returned Servine to his Pokéball without telling him a job well done. Naturally, it would be seen as favoritism because if it was Vanillite that was on the battlefield instead…

"Really…" He began, "You're suppose to be a better trainer than me, yet your Pokémon won't obey you."

Ash chuckled nervously at the comment instead of getting irritated like he did with Paul in the past. "Umm...this Eevee isn't mine…"

"Obviously. I suggest just capturing it."

Ash sighed as he got out a Pokéball. "Eevee, would you like to go inside?"

Eevee looked at him confused before nodding his head slowly. When Ash lightly tapped the normal Pokémon on the head though, it didn't go into the ball at all. Puzzled, Ash turned to Trip.

"…Does this Eevee belong to someone in this mansion?" Ash finally asked.

"No, why?"

Trip replied way too fast on that one. Ash knew instantly that he was lying. Cilan beat him to it though.

"Trip, it's not good to lie to us like that." Cilan told him as he, Iris, Bianca and Vanillite approached him. "I think you should tell us who the Eevee belongs to and why it's so violent."

The photographer looked away rather ashamed with himself. He lied when he didn't mean to.

"…I really think it's a wild Eevee." Trip started, "but I know that Eevee aren't native to the Unova region…but…that Eevee started to appear last week when my uncle and his friends came back from another region…"

"Which region was that?" Cilan asked. He needed to get focus for his mission.

"I think he said it was Orre, but I don't know where that is."

"I knew it."

Iris glanced at the green haired teen confused. "Knew what Cilan?"

"Orre…is a region known for Pokémon that get corrupted."

"!"

"I remember a friend of mine telling me that he went to Orre once and came back to tell the tale. Almost all of the Pokémon in that region were vicious. They attacked trainers and used moves that it couldn't originally know. I'm almost certain that the same applies to this Eevee."

Ash looked down at Eevee. "Is this true?"

"Eevee…" Was the low reply Ash got.

"Still, I'm curious how your uncle obtain an Eevee from Orre."

Trip didn't say anything, but Cilan already knew the answer.

"It was stolen, wasn't it?"

That surprised the group.

"W-What do you mean stolen?" Bianca questioned.

"This Eevee belongs to another trainer. However, he was taken away from his rightful owner and turned violent. This is probably what they call a Shadow Pokémon in that region."

"Shadow Pokémon…" Ash repeated. "Cilan…how much do you know?"

"Not much…just the name and the fact that they're known for their violent natures." He stopped when he remembered something else and continued. "I also recall that the only way to change a Shadow Pokémon back to a normal one, they must continue to battle with a trainer with a pure heart and then bring them to a shrine in the Orre region where it can be purified. I'm certain there is a similar place in the Unova region as well though so…"

The dirty blonde trainer just listened to Cilan lecture the group about what the Eevee was. Cilan really was a dangerous person, but if he knew this much then maybe…

The group stopped speaking when they heard a cell phone ring. It had an eerie tone to it that made it seem like the room's temperature dropped a few degrees in Fahrenheit. Trip just groaned in frustration.

"It's only my cell. Don't get your panties in a bunch." He replied in a mocking tone as he went to pick it up. Iris just fumed.

"What is with him?" Iris asked out loud making sure Trip could here him, "and to think this jerk could be a murderer!"

Cilan was confused. "Murderer?"

Trip seemed to freeze when he picked up the phone. He didn't say anything to the person at all. The group was quiet to try to hear the person on the other end. The man on the other man was rather loud though so they didn't have to be as quiet as a mouse. Ash noticed that Trip was gripping his cellphone hard before placing it away from his ear and hanging up.

"Who was it?" Ash asked.

The young trainer's overall expression was different now. There wasn't any smug look now. He actually looked worried.

"It was only my uncle…" He replied in almost a whisper. "No one to worry about…"

"…Trip?"

"I got to get dinner ready now…try not to destroy anything in the mansion please. I'll send Joi over when I'm done. Vanillite, let's go."

"Puu!"

"Trip wait!"

Trip quickly rushed out the training room with Vanillite by his side. The group continued to stare at the door that the gray-eyed trainer left through. Ash only frowned when Trip left in a hurry.

_Trip…what's wrong with you? Did your uncle say something to make you scared? What's going on here?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 4829 words. Notes.
> 
> 1\. Keep the flashback in mind. Trip insists that he doesn't want to remember what happened on that night. However, what happened is not what you think…or is it? Give me your opinion in the reviews.
> 
> 2\. I made Trip's mom seem like a gold digger but really, a lot about his mom is surrounded in mystery. Because she's famous, she hides under a mask that she must show to the public image. Ironically, Trip is more pissed off at his dad more than his mom despite her leaving the family.
> 
> 3\. When you think of Rugal, think of Ladd from Baccano, that crazy awesome psychopath. If you think Ladd and Lua have a crazy relationship, then Rugal and Maddalen show it to the public and it's very disturbing…but people don't mind…then again, when Rugal is already hinted to be one of the most powerful men in Unova, you wouldn't want to say terrible about him, would you?
> 
> 4\. I was thinking of the Trick Master's House in R/S/E when Ash was sliding on the floor. Admit it, the final level with the shiny glass and the vase was annoying as hell. Trip polished his floor to that level is very creepy…
> 
> 5\. I noticed that Trip's Servine doesn't have that many moves…and they aren't good ones either. I know Trip level grinds in the anime, but he needs to teach his Pokémon better moves. His Vanillite already knows blizzard for crying out loud. Just a few more levels and she'll know sheer cold…LOL! This is why I gave Trip moves I would use like leech seed and coil. Slam was just a move that came to mind but I would have used leaf blade.
> 
> 6\. Again, I think Trip favors his Vanillite compared to his other Pokémon. He doesn't praise his Servine at all when he wins or loses and in the episode where Trip used Gurdurr, he's yelling at it instead of encouraging it to get up…and then he doesn't tell Gurdurr good job when he returns it to its Pokéball. With Vanillite though, not only does he praise Vanillite and show extreme worry when Vanillite is exhausted, but he speaks to Vanillite one on one like in episode 34 where Trip called Iris a "weird girl" and his Vanillite agreed with him. How come Trip doesn't have that type of conversation with his other Pokémon? Because I think he doesn't communicate with them as well as his Vanillite. I'm going to bring this up later in this story and make Trip's Servine jealous of Vanillite because the starter Pokémon is suppose to be Trip's most important Pokémon on the team.
> 
> 7\. I don't refer to Reverse Mode in the actual story but that's only because Trip isn't spilling the beans and Cilan is only giving vague information to Ash, Iris and Bianca. They need to figure things out fast if they're going to get anywhere.


	8. Cooking Trainer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash plans to bug Trip about the phone call he got from his uncle, but Trip is adamant about forgetting about it. He has every reason to forget what the old man says, but that's not what he's worried about though. He's more worried about cooking...actually, Trip shouldn't be the one worrying about cooking, Ash, his friends and Team Rocket should be worried for what Trip would serve up. Besides, Ash will probably get the information that he needs from a little witch that forced her way into the mansion.

_"Hello, Trip. I hope you're holding your end of the bargain."_

_Why is he calling me? I still have another week!_

_"Huh, you're not going to talk? Whatever, I'll just tell you right now that if you don't find that key, there will be consequences."_

_I'm trying my very best! Why the hell are you harassing me?_

_"Do you have company over? Is that why you're not talking to your favorite uncle?"_

_That's a lie! You're the worse uncle anyone can ever have!_

_"Oh, don't worry, I won't hurt them if I end up having to introduce myself to them, but you'll be the one who has to deal with me when I force them out."_

_No…don't do that…I can't stand being alone anymore…_

_"But if you give me the key, then you won't have to worry about me forcefully ejecting them out of the place…oh yeah! I also won't have to call your father and tell him where you are."_

_He gripped the phone tightly around his hand. Why was he brining him up now?_

_"I think you understand why I'm the one calling the shots here boy. Now hurry up and find that key. I don't have all the time in the world. You wouldn't want your father finding out your location and what else you did, would you? Bwahahahahahaha!_

_The evil laugh rang in his ears as he hung up before he finished talking. He had to get away from the phone…far…far away…_

* * *

 

Trip knew it was stupid of running off like that. Now he made Ash and the group more curious. He didn't care though. He had to finish cleaning the house first so he could find that blasted key.

"…I don't get it Vanillite…" Trip muttered to his ice cream Pokémon that was tagging right beside him. "What will he gain when he gets the key? I seriously doubt my mom has any money behind that door…"

"Puu?"

"…You wouldn't understand…no one does…"

His Vanillite frowned. She felt bad for not being able to comfort her trainer in a time of need. In her mind, that trainer Ash would be the best cure for him. Luckily for her, Trip's Lampent was nearby. As his trainer headed toward the kitchen aimlessly, Vanillite stopped to speak to Lampent about something. Trip wouldn't be able to understand anyway since he didn't understand the language of Pokémon. His Lampent nodded his head in agreement as he flew off in the direction of the training room. Chances were that Ash and the group were still there.

* * *

Normally, Cilan would be the person that would think that trying to break into someone's cellphone to get information was wrong. However, Cilan was a member of the Shadow Triad, therefore, all information was equally important and if they had to invade someone's privacy to do it that was what the grass gym leader was going to do.

Bianca was the one who suggested it. Her nosy nature would have appalled many people. Ash and Iris were instantly in on this. Ash wanted to know why Trip suddenly became more distant and Iris just wanted to get on the photographer's nerves. Bianca was just curious, but it all depended on Cilan's choice as he was the oldest of the group. Since he needed the information, he agreed instantly, and no one thought that was odd.

Trip put a code into his phone. It wasn't the normal four digit code that most cellphones and iPods had. No, this was a three letter name. Cilan could not think of anything that Trip would use as a three letter name. Ash, Iris and Bianca were giving all types of suggestions to put in, but no matter what they came up with, the phone wasn't going to go to phonebook and bring up the previous calls.

"What the hell Trip! Why are you making this difficult?" Iris questioned as she had her hands balled up in front of her, shaking them in front of the phone with the red screen that read incorrect password.

"He must really not want anyone in on his numbers…" Cilan mumbled trying to calm the gym apprentice down.

"Boring!~" Bianca whined as she folded her arms in frustration.

Ash was just as irritated. He needed to know why Trip looked worried. Did something bad happen on the other line?

"I think we should just ask Trip what the password is."

"Ash…are you high?" Iris asked him. "Do you really think he'll give you the password just so you can look through his numbers?"

"Well…uh…"

"Urgh…you are such a kid!"

"Axew~"

"Hey! It was a suggestion!"

"A really bad one…" Cilan added in a sarcastic tone.

"What? Not you too Cilan!"

As Iris and Cilan continued to tease Ash nonstop, Bianca noticed that a Lampent was at the door with a notebook in front of him that was being levitated with the psychic spell.

"Hey, what's that Pokémon?" Bianca asked getting their attention.

Instantly, Cilan froze up remembering that Pokémon way too well from the haunted mansion. He was scared of ghost Pokémon. They were always watching him.

"N-N-N-No! N-N-Not a ghost!" Cilan ended up crying as he backed away. Iris just laughed at Cilan's display of immaturity while Ash recognized it as Trip's Lampent.

"It's Trip's Lampent." He told Bianca.

"Really? It's weird…"

"Yeah…" Ash noticed that the notebook was being handed to him using psychic. Ash ended up taking it instantly stopping the attack and read it. He flinched.

"This is…"

The group paid attention to Ash.

"It's what Ash?" Iris asked.

"Trip has too much stuff to do around here! Does he ever have enough time for anything?"

Instantly the trio ended up sighing. The notebook had nothing to do with the phone call.

"What does it say?" Iris continued to question.

"Well, this has all the chores that Trip apparently hasn't done yet. Let's see, cleaning the training room is done but there's still mopping the whole floor, putting lots of furniture away on the fourth floor, tidying up the garden, cleaning up the guest rooms, cooking, vacuuming…this list goes on forever…"

"Whoever gave him this list makes me think that this person thinks that Trip is Cinderella to them." Bianca said.

That would have been a stupid thing to say…but that was pretty accurate from the list. Ash looked at his Lampent waiting for him to make a decision. Instantly, Ash knew what to do.

"Alright guys! I got it!"

"Got what Ash?"

"Pika pi?"

"We're going to help Trip finish this list!"

"WHAT?"

"I think I'll go back to sleep now…" Cilan mumbled almost instantly.

"Why do we have to work?" Bianca complained. "It's his mansion!"

"Come on guys, it will be fun. We'll even use our Pokémon to help us out. I'm sure Trip will really appreciate us helping out."

Iris just shook her head in disapproval. "I swear, ever since you got here, all you wanted to do is get on Trip's good side. It's obvious that he doesn't want us here and sees us as freeloaders so I don't see why we have to kiss up to him."

"Come on Iris! You know Trip isn't that bad of a guy! He just needs to talk to us more!"

Iris turned to Cilan hoping he would say something because of his fever. Cilan ended up giving into Ash though to her surprise.

"Sorry Iris, I think he's right. Trip is actually a nice kid and I'm sure he'll be thankful for us helping him."

"But you're sick…"

Cilan stood up and smiled. "Don't worry about me! When I was still with my brothers, I was the one that took care of them, even if I was sick and collapsed in a heap!"

"…That's nothing to be proud of."

"Axew…xew…"

Ash grinned as the green haired gym leader agreed with him. He turned to Bianca next. "It will be fun Bianca, what do you say?"

She ended up getting pumped almost instantly. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Great!" Ash took out his other five Pokémon that he ended up using the most and through them out. "Come on out everyone!"

Ash summoned Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy, Scraggy and Swadloon. Ash felt like his Tranquil wasn't going to be that much of a use in this mansion since Trip already had one flying around. His Palpitoad still needed a rest from the tournament and his Roggenrola also needed a rest from the attack a couple of weeks ago.

"Come on out everyone!" Bianca called out as she threw four Pokéballs in the air. Two of them were familiar Pokémon that Ash and the group knew which were Pignite and Minccino. The other two were Pokémon that Bianca had not called upon before and they were Munna and Herdier.

"Then mine will come out too!" Iris exclaimed as she threw two more Pokéballs out. One had Excadrill in it and the other had Emolga.

"Me too."

Cilan threw his Pokémon out. They were Pansage, Dwebble and Stunfisk.

It was going to be a rowdy evening, but you would be shocked how much the team could manage in one day.

* * *

Trip didn't understand why his Pokémon refused to help him cook. The minute he stepped inside the kitchen, his Pokémon fled the area. Only his Vanillite stayed behind as dopey as ever. Honestly, it wasn't like he was a bad cook or anything. Only his mom was a terrible cook.

"Whatever…Vanillite, what do you think I should make?" He asked her.

"Puu…Vanipeti…puu!"

"Ehh? I don't know…sounds difficult…"

"Puu!"

"Okay, okay! I'll make it! Don't get mad!"

Vanillite's smile widened as she nudged her trainer's cheek. Trip could only laugh softly as he grabbed on to her gently and brought her close.

"You win. I'll make it."

What Vanillite wanted had something related to Umineko again. Trip actually spent a whole day just watching the anime instead of cleaning like his uncle wanted him to do. His Vanillite enjoyed the series very much and adored Lady Beatrice as much as Trip did. And because Beatrice was Italian, Vanillite wanted spaghetti and meatballs. As crazy as the logic was, Trip was fine with that. This kitchen had any ingredient for any type of foreign cuisine.

He had all the ingredients needed thanks to the list that he got ahead of time because he had an idea what Vanillite wanted.

"Vanillite, give me the okay if we have it."

"Puu!"

"…I haven't started." Trip said with a small smile as he read the list. "One small onion that is grated, one-fourth cup of chopped Italian parsley, one egg, three tablespoons of ketchup, three minced garlic cloves, one teaspoon of salt, one-fourth teaspoon of pepper, two-third cups of grated Parmesan, one-fourth dried Italian bread crumbs and eighteen ounces of lean ground beef for the meatballs."

"Puuuuuuuuu….Vani!"

"Alright now for the marinara sauce…there's…one-half cup of olive oil, two small onions chopped, two garlic cloves that are minced, two stalked chopped celery, two carrots diced, one-half teaspoon of salt, one-half teaspoon of pepper, two, thirty-two ounce can of crushed tomatoes and two dried bay leaves."

"Puu, puu-puu puu!"

"Alright. I think I can do this…"

Suddenly, Trip heard a noise coming from behind him. Now Trip knew there were multiple ways to get into the house besides the front door that everyone sees. However, not a lot of people knew about the hidden door in the kitchen except those that were in his family and a few others. Trip didn't hesitate to take a knife and throw it in the direction of the noise. It was perfect aim and there was a scream. Instantly, Trip regretted throwing his knife like a kunai.

"WHAT THE HELL TRIP? CAN'T A WITCH SAY HI?"

A little girl came through the hidden door. She looked to be the same age around Trip if not younger. She had huge purple eyes and black hair…but looked dark brown at some angles. She was unique in that she wore a cute witch outfit that looked similar to what those witches from Umineko would wear only instead of it being a dress, it looked more like a Japanese uniform…so in other words…the outfit looked more like the standard witch outfit than the actual appealing ones that Trip liked in that series. She looked ready to cry.

"Oh…it's only you…"

"DON'T "Oh…it's only you…" ME! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED MY ZORUA!"

Trip looked where the knife hit. He hit her witch hat and the knife went right through it leaving a rather huge tear in the middle. The Zorua she was talking about popped its head out from underneath the hat, trembling in fear.

 _ **I'm scared Est!** _ Trip could hear the Pokémon speak.

That was abnormal for Pokémon to speak but for Trip, it was considered normal. There was at least one Pokémon that his family members had that could speak human language and that is because of his grandmother's occupation. He would not go into much detail about that old hag though.

"Shut up, you shouldn't have been hiding in that hat anyway." Trip told it as he turned back around.

"I want an apology dammit!" Est shouted as she made her through the hidden door. "You could kill someone like your mother!"

"Well, people did say she was a professional. I guess it runs in the family."

"That's not funny! Murder is not funny!"

"Unless it happens in Umineko."

"…You are one sick child little boy."

"You're the short one."

Trip couldn't help but cackle when she fumed instantly. "DON'T CALL ME SHORT! DON'T CALL ME PUNY! DON'T CALL ME TINY! DON'T CALL ME MICROSCOPIC!"

"Yep, whatever. Just tell me why you're here and I'll forgive you for trespassing."

**_Calm down Est. He's just teasing you._ **

"I don't get it! I'm twice as old as you yet you're taller than me!"

"Tell me why you're here."

Est sighed as she sat on the table. Trip shook his head in annoyance as she moved some of the ingredients out of the way for her small ass.

"Paige told me to pick up Joi." She explained. "She's a lazy bitch! I don't see why I have to fly all the way over here on my broom in the cold hard rain outside while she sits near the Driftveil Bridge, waiting for Clay to give the okay, which by the way, he's not going to anytime soon until those bombers are caught."

"Oh…that explains why she wasn't here sooner…" Trip mumbled to himself as he started to prepare the meatballs first.

Est looked at him seriously as he started to make the food quietly with his Vanillite helping. Her Zorua looked toward her worryingly.

"Trip…are you aware that Kurtz might be dead?" She asked seriously.

"That's impossible." He said almost instantly. "That idiot couldn't die even if you sent assassins to take him down."

"…But assassins were sent to kill him…and they might have succeeded."

"Did they find the body?" Was the next thing that Trip asked rather quickly.

"No…but that might be because they dumped his body into the ocean."

"Then he's still as good as alive in my book. My father obviously failed in killing him."

"…Who said it was your father that tried to kill him?"

"…It was Team Plasma…wasn't it?"

"Yeah. I still can't believe they went from the animal wrong groups to cold-blooded terrorists! Just what we need in this world!" She stood on the table though causing Trip to flinch. "But that's okay! As a witch, I will defeat all the bad people in the world! Right Zorua?"

_**Right!** _

"…What a childish way of thinking…"

"Come on Trip! You got to think positive for once. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel."

"…Ridiculous…"

Est frowned with Trip's way of thinking. She knew the hell he went through because she witnessed it along with many other bystanders that knew Trip's parents, but like all of them, she could do nothing as she was more focused on someone that was more important than Trip in his family.

"If that's it, you can leave now." Trip easily dismissed her as he finished putting all the ingredients in to make the actual meatballs.

"Come on Trip! You can't leave this poor little girl in the rain can you?"

"I have done it before with Linda and I will do it with you."

"Cold…"

Est got off the table preparing to leave before she eyed the ingredients where the sauce was. She grinned evilly as she whispered her Zorua to switch the ingredients around. Her Zorua came out of her hat as it transformed into Vanillite. Vanillite turned around and instantly got pissed.

"Puu!"

 ** _Puu~_** Zorua repeated.

Trip frowned when he turned around. He saw two ice creams and instantly caught the fake.

"You know Est, if you're going to have your Zorua imitate my Pokémon, you should try not to make it so obvious."

The part that was obvious was apparently that Trip's Vanillite was blue and Zorua was a pink Vanillite. Annoyed, Zorua turned back into its original form. Getting a closer look at the Zorua, one could see that instead of the normal colors that Zorua had, it was blue instead. Instead of blue eyes, it had red eyes, and its fur was more of a brownish tint.

"Come on Trip! Just one day! I flew all the way over here with my broom!"

"You mean you had your Pokémon use psychic to levitate you? Sad."

"Please Trip! I promise I won't say anything to your mom about this."

He glared at her when she mentioned his mom. "Why do you think she cares about me Est? Why do you think she would send my aunt's useless bodyguard to watch over me?"

"Useless…" She looked at the floor ashamed of herself. "I…"

Est was using the pity technique to get Trip to let her stay…and it was working.

"…"

"…"

He finally sighed in defeat as he turned on the sink and began washing his hands. "You can stay."

She instantly perked up and cheered loudly. "WAHOO! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"

Trip did not expect her to tackle him to the ground after he finished wiping his hands he just washed. His Vanillite looked down at her with envy in her eyes. Est's Zorua used this opportunity to swap the bottles of sauce around.

"Hey, get off me!"

"Love you bunches~"

Trip hated her at that moment when someone he thought was upstairs came into the kitchen.

"Hey Trip, I was wondering where else you wanted us to…clean up…"

Ash saw the scene in the kitchen and just stared at them awkwardly. Est looked up surprised to see that someone else was in the mansion. Trip felt like dying right there as he pushed her off with superhuman like strength.

"Uh…am I interrupting something?" Ash questioned not really knowing what to say.

Est responded with something different when she recovered. "Why didn't you tell me you had your boyfriend over? I would have left minutes ago if that was the case."

Trip got up instantly and glared at her. "He's _**not**_ my boyfriend!" He then glared at Ash. "And why the hell are you here? I'm not done cooking yet!"

"Uh…I was just wondering…er…" Ash really was at a loss of words.

"Get out!"

Trip finally lost his temper. Est shrieked when she felt Trip grab her by the shoulder. She screamed when he threw her at Ash. They both crashed into the wall in the hallway. Trip also kicked Zorua out too and slammed the door to the kitchen. Est quickly recovered as she banged on the door.

"I can't believe you threw a girl! I thought Amanda taught you well not to hit a girl!"

Trip opened the door again still seething. "Well, for your information Est, Maddalen told me that gender doesn't matter in a fight. If you're going to be a whiny bitch, then I have every right to hit you."

And he slammed the door in her face. The little witch was fuming.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

Ash was still trying to recover from having someone being thrown at him. Why did Trip have superhuman strength, he didn't know… All he knew was that he was going to stay far away from Trip for now…

* * *

Things settled down when Ash guided Est to the living room. He finally understood what was going on in the kitchen now.

The girl introduced herself as Est. She is apparently the bodyguard of Trip's aunt Ilyana, therefore served under Trip's family.

"Trip's family is very rich." She told him, "but they're old fashion and strict. Of course, Trip's mom and his aunt are trying to break out of that style…but the head is very scary…very scary…"

She would pause at the mention of Trip's grandmother. Her Zorua had to comfort her that she wasn't around to beat her. The little witch would continue talking about her occupation and how she fails as a bodyguard because she's not even with Ilyana at the moment. Ash decided to ask her about Trip.

"Do you know why Trip is so distant?"

"It's his family situation." She said simply. "Life…hasn't treated him well."

"…"

"I'm assuming you're pretty close to Trip, so I'll just give you the story in one paragraph. Trip is an only child and the only son of the great Maddalen. He has inherited almost everything from her, but he wasn't always this aloof. In fact, he was the sweetest thing when he was…around five. However…both of his parents hated his guts…but I'm going to deny that Maddalen hates her son…I will not believe that at all. Regardless, shit started to go down after Trip met the Champion."

"Alder, I assume?"

"Yes…him." She smiled sadly. "He was the reason Trip wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer…but his mom hates Pokémon…so their relationship got worse. She would…often beat him for hanging out with older trainers and their Pokémon and it really got to the point where she actually left him out in the rain…"

"! That's…"

"Horrible…but no one stopped it. No one dared go up against Maddalen…in fact…the only person that went up against her was Amanda…and look what happened to her."

"What happened?"

"She's dead." Est said in a matter of fact tone that stunned Ash.

Ash had to absorb the information that she was giving him about Trip because apparently, she already trusted him.

"Rumors spread that Maddalen hired someone to kill Amanda but to make it look like an accident. No one really knows though because Maddalen's lips are sealed of the event…but…" Est looked away as if she was recalling that event in her mind. "I'll never forget what happened after that."

"…What do you mean?"

"…It's hard to believe but because of that event, Maddalen started to treat Trip like her actual son…and that only lasted a year before she finally had it and left with the richest man in Unova."

"Rugal?"

"That's him…but…" Her expression darkened. "I will never forgive the person who did that."

"Did what?"

"Well…I think during the time that Maddalen started to act like a mother, someone called child service on them…and…she just snapped."

"But wasn't Trip…oh…"

"Trip loves her." She stated the obvious. "He didn't take the thing well either, and when Maddalen left, his father snapped…and took his anger out on him."

"!"

"Trip ran away from home with the help of one of his dad's friends Kurtz. If Trip gets caught though, his father will drag his ass back home."

"And where is that…exactly?"

"Driftveil City. The one that's over the drawbridge."

"Wait…"

"That's all I'm going to say about him." Est told the Kanto trainer. "Trip will kill me if he found out that I told his life story to someone." She smiled. "But I trust you for some strange reason."

"…"

"Are you sure you're not Trip's boyfriend? You seem like the type of person Trip would be attracted to."

"Boyfriend? I am a boy and I am a friend but…"

She sighed in defeat as she looked near the doorframe nearby. "How many people did Trip invite here?"

Ash turned to see that Iris, Cilan and Bianca were eavesdropping on the conversation along with Pikachu, Axew and Eevee of course.

"We just got here." Iris said with a cheeky grin. "It's not like we were listening to Trip's backstory or anything."

It was obvious they were spying. Ash just chuckled nervously at Iris giving them away. Est just shrugged her shoulders. "If you're friends of Trip, then it shouldn't matter."

She got off the couch and proceeded to leave. "I need to fix my hat anyway."

"Why are you giving Ash this information?" Cilan suddenly asked in a serious tone.

"? Cilan?"

"For all you know, we could be people that could harm Trip, yet you gave us his family backstory with just a blink in the eye. Why trust him?"

Est looked confused before smiling. "You may be strangers to me, but the aura says you're all good people, so I can trust you."

"Aura?" Ash asked.

"Oh, I said too much! Got to go! Tell me when Trip's done cooking~"

With that, she dashed in the other direction…that definitely wasn't where the stairs were.

"What a weird kid." Iris stated as they all walked over to Ash.

"…I didn't get to ask how old she was…" Ash mumbled to herself.

"She's probably the same age as Trip. Don't worry about it."

"…"

Ash still needed to absorb the information that he just received. He needed to remember to treat Trip nicer now that he knew that his life sucked so badly. Ash's childhood was nothing in comparison to his and judging from her story, his life as a trainer isn't as good either.

* * *

"Alright it's done."

"Puu!"

Trip stared at the food he made and felt proud of himself. He finally cooked without supervision. Of course, if you looked at the spaghetti, you could tell there was something wrong with it…like…the coloring of the noodles was purple instead of the usual yellow. The meat was dark brown instead of the spicy red color it should have had in the picture. Trip just excused the change in color as him burning the food slightly. He could not explain why the noodles he boiled in the pot change color. He'll just go by the theory that the water he used was purple instead of clear thus did it change color. If anyone were to ask about his logic, they would not be able to understand it.

"Vanillite, can you go get them?" Trip asked his ice cream Pokémon.

"Vani~"

Trip had to open the door in order for her to float out of it and go get Ash and the group. He was still annoyed that Est had to ask him those questions and then put him in that awkward situation. He hated situations like that…they never ended well and the one who witnesses it all assumes the worse.

 _And suddenly…I feel like I understand what happened with Porter and Linda now._ The photographer thought to himself, as he tasted his food. It tasted fine according to him. Now all he had to do was…

There was a crash upstairs. Instantly, Trip felt his temper flare up. "If they break something…someone isn't going to eat tonight…"

He noticed his Gurdurr was at the door. He instantly called him order and asked the fighting Pokémon to set the table to his dismay. Trip didn't understand why his Gurdurr was making a fuss about something as small as that…

* * *

The noise was from Bianca again. She ended up following Est and that was when she saw the adorable black fox known as Zorua. She was obsessed with that Pokémon ever since she met Luke's Zorua during the tournament. She wanted one so badly. If she couldn't get Luke to trade his Zorua, then she would get Est to trade with her.

All Zorua were playful though and that resulted in Zorua jumping out of Est's hat and running around the mansion. Bianca ended up chasing it. Cilan reminded her that it was ill advised to destroy something that wasn't hers. She didn't listen and continued chasing it. It got to the point where she almost knocked over a rather expensive vase. Iris had the quickest reflex and caught it. The sound Trip heard was of the table that the vase was on falling on top of the dragon trainer and her head hitting the floor as a result.

"Bianca…" She muttered darkly as she caught Zorua and gave it a bear hug to its dismay. "You're such a kid…"

"You're so cute Zorua~ I want to catch you~"

Ash and Cilan just chuckled nervously. Est did not like Bianca hugging her Zorua. "Give it back."

"I'm just going to borrow her for a while~"

"It's a he! Now listen to your elders and give it back!"

"No!"

Bianca was acting immature again. The fight would not escalate though because Vanillite found them. Est instantly saw the ice cream Pokémon and grinned. "Is the food ready?"

"Puu~"

"ALRIGHT!"

She just left her Zorua as she rushed to the dining room. Zorua felt betrayed by his trainer.

The group was rather hungry so they all followed after the little witch unaware of what would happen at the dinner table.

* * *

The dining room was huge like the rest of the mansion. Ash had to remind himself that Trip's family was rich but this was ridiculous.

Team Rocket was also called to eat whatever was cooked. Est needed an explanation on why Trip had so many people in the mansion.

"It's not like you to invite this many people!" She complained. "I thought you were just cooking for me!"

Trip just shook his head in annoyance. "They're just here because of the rain and to open **that** door."

"The door where you lost that key?"

"You shut up." He retorted as he left with his Gurdurr to get the food.

Est let out a small witch like cackle as she sat at the end of the table. If anyone asked, it was because she knew Trip the longest.

 _Her taste is just as weird as Trip's._ Cilan thought to himself as he realized he should be back in bed with soup.

He was wishing for that now as everybody backed up when Trip's Gurdurr came in with the huge plate that could serve multiple people. The spaghetti…looked dangerous when it was set in the middle of the table. Ash instantly felt his eyebrow twitch as he and everyone examined the strange color of the food. Est chuckled nervously realizing that her plan might have backfired.

"Did you make this all by yourself?" Bianca asked not trying to sound like crude.

When Trip came through the door, he just nodded his head. "Knowing you guys, you'll probably not leave anything for me." He says this as he looks at Ash.

Ash's friends turned to the Kanto trainer. He was known for eating a lot but Ash felt like this was not a good idea.

"Umm…Trip…why is the food…"

"Purple? It's food coloring." He said rather quickly.

"Bullshit…" Est whispered to herself. No one heard her though.

Team Rocket was going to take the first bite first since they hadn't eaten anything all day, but James and Meowth weren't going to risk it after seeing the dead bodies. For all they know, Trip could have poisoned the food.

The group wasn't feeling good when it was Gurdurr that ended up serving them. The food smelled fine but just looking at it.

"Ash…"

Trip rarely called Ash by his name. The raven-haired teen froze when the gray-orbed trainer was behind him. If Ash were to turn around, the aura around Trip would be as purple as the one that was around Eevee.

"Weren't you complaining about being hungry?"

"Uh…"

"Don't waste my food."

It was like the devil was speaking to him. He was too scared to say anything. Iris and Cilan just shook their head as if saying, "It was nice knowing you."

"I worked really hard…"

Ash looked at Est who was eyeing him. If Ash was better at understanding some romantic movements, it was obvious that the witch was telling him to "Go get him!" Ash looked down at the plate of the purple spaghetti and then back at everyone who was expecting him to eat.

"Oh, it's not just Ash that has to eat first. Everyone has to eat it."

That got the whole table quiet. Pikachu and the rest of the Pokémon were lucky just eating Pokémon food…but Vanillite handed Pikachu some ketchup and the electric Pokémon was satisfied for the evening.

Ash felt his heart speed up as he looked down on the food. If he died, he wanted to write his will before it was too late.

"Umm…Trip can I have a…"

Trip was very persistent with Ash tasting his food. Everyone just assumed he was secretly trying to kill Ash when in reality he wanted Ash to taste to see how good his cooking was since there was no way he was just as bad as his mom.

"Do I have to feed you or are you going to do it yourself?"

Trip felt his cheeks blushing when he asked that. No one but Est caught that though as she giggled. Ash simply assumed that Est was mocking him instead of seeing the situation at hand. Slowly, he took his fork and poked one of the meatballs. Slowly, he raised it to his mouth. Everyone was watching him now.

_Here goes nothing…_

Ash put it in his mouth and chewed…and chewed…and chewed…and swallowed.

Ash instantly turned his head toward Trip and said one thing.

"Murderer…"

And then his head slammed on the table as Iris started screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 7577 words. Notes! 
> 
> 1\. In Pokémon, there is always that one person in the group that can't cook. It was Misty in the original series, May in the Hoenn arc and everyone avoided it in the Sinnoh arc apparently because May came back. Best Wishes doesn't have a bad chief. You have Iris who should be bad at cooking but she proves to be good at making medicine and gets food from the wild so that doesn't count as bad cooking and then you have Cilan who is a chief. Bianca would probably fit the roll but then it's like, "Why the hell did you let her in the kitchen in the first place?" So I think it would be funny if Trip was the bad cook since it would be different if the rival were bad at doing something. Bonus points because I made it obvious that his mom was a terrible cook and he inherited that…along with everything else.
> 
> 2\. Trip won't comment on the Pokémon cleaning his mansion for him until the next chapter. He was too busy cooking to notice that there were more Pokémon eating the Pokémon food than just Pikachu, Axew, Eevee, Zorua and Vanillite.
> 
> 3\. Est is my newest OC character. I realized that when you're famous like Trip's mom, you're going to need a bodyguard. She is not Maddalen's bodyguard though. She is Maddalen's twin sister (and Trip's aunt's) bodyguard. Very important because I only just brought up Trip's aunt and if Est says his family sucks then what about his aunt?
> 
> 4\. Est's character is rather simple for me. She's a TWENTY-year-old girl that acts like a child. Yes, she's twenty despite looking ten as she stated that she is twice the age of Trip, which would be ten times two. It's kind of obvious that she sucks at what she's suppose to be doing AKA protecting Ilyana from people that are after Maddalen but go after her because she's a good target. She loves the occult (and convinces herself that she's a witch) and hates being called short to the point that she acts like Edward Elric when he's called short. She's very nosy and is not good at keeping secrets. On the bright side, she's always thinking positively and never gives up no matter how many times she falls down. She uses ghost and dark Pokemon. She can apparently see the aura from the conversation with Ash but there are some hidden depths with her.
> 
> 5\. Bianca is obsessed with Zorua again…I wish I didn't have to do that but I bet whenever she sees a Zorua, she will freak out. It won't last long though because Est's Zorua is quieter than Luke's Zorua who is very cunning.
> 
> 6\. Yes, like the Zorua in the movie, Est has one that can communicate telepathically…and it's a shiny Zorua! Don't worry, that's her only shiny unlike Paige who has –cough- all shiny Pokémon. The reason why I had Est come over to pick up the Audino instead of Paige is because Paige…is kind of a bitch to Trip as I mentioned in my other stories but it's never shown because I never have her talking to him directly. Est is probably the only OC that Trip can talk to normally (by whatever that means) without remembering his past.
> 
> 7\. Remember Amanda? If you read Perfect Shot and basically the other Pokemon stories, I basically gave the idea on what happened. But just so you readers can recap, Amanda was basically the person that Trip looked to as an older sister because his parents were distant. She dies shortly after giving him that camera he always has. Trip insists that it wasn't an accident. Now here is Est telling you that the reason why it might not be an accident is because Trip's mom might have set things up to kill her. It's only a rumor though and Est is constantly saying that she does not believe that Maddalen hates her son.
> 
> 8\. Here is more information on Kurtz. Cilan kind of freaked out in the first chapter about him being dead. Since Kurtz is also close to Trip, he heard about it but Trip is adamant about him not being dead. I'll just say that the body wasn't found.
> 
> 9\. Linda and Porter are constantly mentioned in my other stories and Trip only mentions them once here. I haven't written a story with these two in it but remember that Porter was Amanda's boyfriend and Linda was Amanda's best friend. I don't think these two will have a big role in this story since they're on the other side of the drawbridge.
> 
> 10\. Bianca has both Munna and Herdier similar to her game counterpart. I don't like how the anime doesn't have her signature Munna that she ALWAYS has and might as well be her favorite Pokemon.


	9. Not in Sight Without Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently dinner was a disaster that everyone rather not speaks of. Ash wakes up in the middle of the night because of his upset stomach and notices Trip alone. This might be Ash's only chance to have a heart to heart conversation before he kicks them out tomorrow…

Everything was a blur. Ash was almost certain that he was dead this time. He thought he was dead multiple times though like the time he was petrified and the times where he almost drowned and then the recent one where he thought he was going to freeze to death. This was different though. His insides felt like they were going to explode. He thought his intestines stopped functioning but that really wasn't the case.

He opened to see Est looking down at him disappointed.

"I don't get you people." He heard her say. "Trip's spaghetti was delicious. You people have no taste."

"Pika pi!"

"Eevee!"

Ash slowly sat up trying to remember what happened. He remembered almost instantly and felt like throwing up again. This would be the second time he fainted today because of Trip and he wasn't pleased.

"That was terrible…" Ash finally said.

"Jerk!" Est told him as she flicked his forehead with her finger. "You are the worse boyfriend ever! What kind of boyfriend passes out from their lovers food?"

"Apparently me because it was really bad…" Ash replied not really understanding the full meaning of what the little witch implied.

She shook her head in annoyance. "I can't believe you. Trip was really upset."

Ash wouldn't believe that Trip was upset. If anyone asked, the Kanto trainer would have thought that Trip was trying to kill him by food poisoning. What did he say about Trip not being a murderer?

"What time is it?"

"It's past your bedtime." Est replied harshly. "You should wash your face. You had spaghetti all over it and your Oshawott had to water gun your face, but you still didn't wake up."

"Hey…what happened to everyone else?"

"In the same comatose situation as you were. They all took one bite and they all past out…except that woman with the red hair. She knows what good food is unlike you guys." As she turned to leave, she said one more thing that made Ash visibly flinch. "By the way, you might want to apologize to Trip. If you don't, I will force you to eat all of that food."

She left Ash's room and slammed the door behind him. Ash had no idea why she acted like she owned the place but seeing his worried Pokémon made him smile slightly.

"Sorry for worrying you guys." He apologized. "Where is everyone else."

"Pika pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed using body language to communicate with his trainer. He was simply saying that the Pokémon were next door with everyone else's Pokémon.

"Oh, I see. Thank you Pikachu."

Pikachu blushed, which resorted in Eevee getting a little jealous of the affection Ash showed. He instantly jumped on Ash's shoulder.

"Eevee!"

"Oh yeah! I have to watch my face. Coming Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

Ash opened the door and left the room with Pikachu by his foot, following him step by step to the bathroom.

* * *

It took Ash at least five minutes to wash his face and change into his pajamas in the bathroom. When he looked at the clock, it was already midnight. He needed to get some sleep if the group was going to leave tomorrow since Cilan was already showing signs of feeling better unless this spaghetti ruined the chance to leave tomorrow afternoon.

Eevee was already asleep on his shoulder forcing Ash to carry him back to his room. Slowly, he put Eevee back on the bed. Ash noted that his Oshawott somehow snuck his way into his bed as well but what could he say?

Ash decided that he would find Trip with Pikachu. It didn't take long though. He was in the place that he expected Trip to be and that was the kitchen. All the lights in the mansion were off but the only light was the one that came from the moon. Ash could see Trip reading in the dark and that wasn't good for his eyes. His Vanillite was right beside him who looked just as upset.

"I know you're there Ash." Trip said that surprised the Kanto trainer. "I hope you're feeling better."

"Uh…I think so…I'm…"

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have had served that…" He replied almost instantly. "I should have known that I couldn't cook."

Vanillite was suddenly more interested in Pikachu than her own trainer now. Ash gave the signal for Pikachu to take Vanillite away so he could talk to Trip on his own. Pikachu agreed as he asked politely for Vanillite to follow him. The ice cream Pokémon blushed as it followed Pikachu away shyly. Ash then took a seat next to Trip.

"…I don't get it…I followed the cook book step by step and it tasted fine to me…"

Ash really didn't know what to say. He couldn't lie to him because his body wasn't going to allow that, but the food was so bad that Ash wanted to cry but he ended up passing out instead. The Kanto trainer noticed that Trip's eyes weren't as shiny as they always were. Instead, they were very dull when he turned the page of the book.

"You shouldn't be reading in the dark." Ash lectured as he tried to take the book away from him. Trip swiped it away from Ash almost instantly but placed it next to him. "I'm serious Trip. You'll hurt your eyes doing that. It's basic to not read in the dark."

"Using what I say against me now…oh how the mighty have fallen…"

"What is that suppose to mean?"

Trip ended up ignoring him as he looked up toward the ceiling where some of the moonlight gazed down at him.

"I'm really sorry…" Trip apologized sincerely. "You were probably expecting me to cook a more desirable meal…"

"…"

"I'm always mocking everyone around me for their lame cooking skills yet I…"

"You'll get better Trip. Don't worry about it."

"But…"

Ash sighed. "It was probably just a fluke. You might have just messed up on what sauce to put in or you might have cooked the food for too long."

When Ash mentioned the sauce though, Trip instantly stood up and looked at the bottle he used. He glared at the bottle, as he wanted nothing more but to throw it at the wall.

"Dammit Est…" He cursed. "You swap the bottle on me…"

"See? It wasn't your cooking skills. It was just a misunderstanding."

"…No one here thinks that now."

Trip sat back down next to Ash and scooted closer to him without the older trainer not noticing.

"Come on. Just explain to them what happened and everything will be fine. Like those dead bodies, it has nothing to do with you."

"…"

"It really has nothing to do with you, right?"

"No, it doesn't."

"You see? You worry too much."

Ash realized that compared to Paul, Trip was much easier to talk to without him retaliating at any moment.

"…I am going to kill her if I see her again…"

"It was probably a prank Trip, come on!"

Trip grunted and ended up resting his head against Ash's shoulder as a result. Ash surprisingly didn't budge from his spot. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to pull the younger trainer closer to him but that sounded better in his head then actually doing it.

"You know, I had other friends that are horrible cooks." Ash began, "but they never gave up after one try. If you keep trying Trip, I'm certain you'll get better instead of sending people to heaven…err…"

The dirty blonde was silent after listening to this information. Ash thought he blew it and decided that it might be best to leave him alone.

"So…are you going to kick us out tomorrow?"

"I don't see why not."

"But we're not done cleaning the mansion."

"There's that but I didn't ask you guys to help me finish that list. I can do it by myself."

"But…this seems too much for you."

"It's fine. My uncle is always doing this to me. I'm use to it."

"…Was he the one that called you?"

"…"

"Trip?"

"…Don't worry about me." Trip managed to force out.

"Hmm?"

"Don't worry about the phone call or the dead bodies or anything you see here. Once you leave tomorrow, you can forget everything you saw and focus on your journey on becoming a Pokémon Master."

Trip was obviously flattering him. Ash actually felt embarrassed for once but…

"That's the first time you actually encouraged my dreams especially when you called it childish before."

"And what's wrong with me supporting it now?"

"Nothing wrong it! It's just cute. That's all."

The photographer's eyes were no longer dull now. Their original color came back but his entire face was beat read now. Ash didn't seem aware of what he just said and continued.

"If anything is wrong Trip, you can always call us for help. We'll help you out even in the hardest times…like the one now."

"…You mean what happened in Nimbasa City…I heard from Paige…"

Ash clenched his fist instantly getting pissed at the reminder of the tragedy. "Team Plasma will not get away with this."

This would be the perfect opportunity to reveal to Ash who the culprit was. All he had to say was that Cilan and his two brothers were the ones that bombed the stadium and the tragedy was over. That didn't seem right though knowing that Cilan was a nice guy overall. Still…

"So…what do you think of…"

"Hmm?"

"…Vanillite and Pikachu seem to be getting along well."

He was obviously changing the subject but Ash wouldn't notice.

"Yeah. They're so cute together. Pikachu doesn't even seem to be aware of the girls he attracts."

"Like you should talk…"

"What?"

"N-Nothing…"

Trip needed to find another conversation fast before Ash asked him something he didn't want him to know. He couldn't think of anything else so Ash ended up bringing up the subject again.

"Trip…about your mom…"

"…There's nothing between us now. Just a broken relationship between mother and son…"

Ash couldn't say anything to that. He and his mother had a wonderful relationship and even though she was letting him travel all the regions in the world, there bond was still strong. Unlike Trip's mom who couldn't care less what he was doing now. It was very depressing.

"So Trip…what about your father? What's he like?"

That seemed to be the wrong question.

"I wish I didn't have one." Trip remarked darkly. "He's a loser that needs to grow a pear or mom won't come back! I hate guys like that must rely on strong women to do everything for them! It pisses me off so much! And now that he's doing his job as a cop now, he still can't bring mom back and go back to how everything originally was! Why is he so stupid?!"

He was ranting more to himself more than Ash. The raven-haired teen ended up moving away from Trip when he basically blew up about his father. This was probably the worse topic Ash came up with and leaving was the best option now.

"I'll leave you alone now…I asked the wrong thing…" Ash said quickly as he got up and tried to leave. He was surprised when Trip snatched his hand and held on tightly.

"…Please stay with me…for a little while longer…" Trip mumbled. The change from him shouting to whispering was unnerving. Ash glanced at Trip's expression and noticed that his eyes were watery. Was he about to cry?

"…Alright."

Ash ended up sitting back down next to him but was still afraid of him snapping at him again. Nothing was said between the two. Trip leaned against Ash's shoulder again and this time, Ash put his arm around Trip. Ash had done this to Misty in the past but he felt nothing. This was different though. He felt his heart beating faster when he did this action. What was this feeling?

Trip wanted to stay like this for while. He had no one to lean on in the past. That's a lie though. He had Amanda in the past but she's dead now and he had no one to turn to. It was fine though. He was strong on his own and he has already proven it to those who didn't think he would survive so far. Still, this felt warm and nice.

"Ash…"

He heard his name being called again.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for putting up with me."

"Nah, I'm use to it!"

"…"

"Uhh…"

"Your hand…it healed pretty fast…"

Ash almost forgot about his hands. They didn't hurt anymore when he was hit with the baseball bat. Then again, he had worse injuries.

"Don't worry about it. I'm use to injuries like these."

"…Is that a good thing?"

"Depends on what you mean by a good thing."

It was quiet again before Ash's stomach started grumbling. Trip ended up pushing Ash away when he did that causing Ash to chuckle nervously.

"Sorry, I'm still hungry. Have anymore food that isn't spaghetti?"

"No…but…"

Trip stood up and turned on the lights. Ash had to shield his eyes from the light so they could just to the brightness. He noticed the book that Trip was reading though. It was a cookbook on how to make breakfast food. It was on the page of pancakes.

"…If everyone didn't give up on me then I was going to make this…but since apparently I'm a bad cook."

"No you're not!" Ash shouted as he stood up. "It was just one mistake that won't happen again!"

"Ash…"

He rolled up his sleeves as he was looking around the kitchen. "I'll help you cook this time. With me, there's no way this will go wrong."

"…"

"What?"

"You're willing to help me out this late?"

"Of course! You're my friend like Iris, Cilan and Bianca! We're a team and we got to stick together."

"Friend…together…"

Trip was silent again puzzling Ash. This was before Trip started to push him to where the ingredients were.

"If you're going to help me then you better be handy."

Ash was being forced to climb the shelf to get some of the ingredients. He was instantly starting to regret helping the younger trainer but if he were to notice the expression on Trip's face, he would have those thoughts. For once, Trip was smiling.

* * *

Cilan felt like he was having a hangover when he woke up the next morning. That was the last time they were all going to let Trip cook. From now on, he would do the cooking if Trip ever joined their group whether it was temporary or permanent. He shifted in his bed trying to figure out what exactly happened after Trip forced everyone to try his cooking because apparently, Ash's suffering was not enough for him. Before collapsing, he remembered that little witch was unaffected and neither was Jessie. They must not have had taste buds if they continued chowing down the food like it was chocolate.

"Uh…my head…"

He tried to roll off the bed but bumped into something. At first, he thought it was his Pokémon that were preventing him from doing so. When he turned around completely to see who was in his bed, he nearly shrieked.

_W-W-W-What is Iris doing in my bed?_

It wasn't like the two were naked or anything when they were in the bed. They however ended up in the pajamas that they borrowed from Trip and that was just as disturbing as trying to figure out who the hell put Iris in bed next to him. If she woke up, he would not hear the end of it not only from her but from Bianca as well, and knowing Bianca, she would probably tell everyone…and if it reached Burgundy, he was fucking screwed.

She started to shift in her sleep causing Cilan to freak out more. He tried to get out but Iris made it impossible especially when she grabbed him around the waste and treated him like he was a Teddiursa. His brain froze from this contact and his body wouldn't let him move at all.

"I love you Excadrill…" She mumbled in her sleep as she continued snoring.

The grass gym leader was rather disturbed by that statement.

_Iris…are you dreaming about your Excadrill…or am I just getting the wrong idea?_

Cilan just sighed as he ended up watching her sleep for a few minutes. He had to admit she was a beautiful dreamer when she wasn't so loud and childish. Then again, she was everything he wasn't…that was because his childhood was taken away from him.

"Iris…"

He ended up stroking her wild hair gently. She didn't even react as she continued to snuggle against him. It was endearing to him…

This moment the two shared didn't last long when there was a crash downstairs followed by the fire alarm turning on in the whole mansion causing Iris to jump out of bed.

"WAIT, WHAT WAS THAT? Wait…what?"

"…Well it's obvious that Trip is cooking again…not a good time…" Cilan shook his head in annoyance as he tried to get back to sleep despite the sound…and then the sprinkles went off in the entire house causing all the inhabitants to wake up and screeching to their morning being ruined. On the bright side, Iris did not seem to catch that she and him were sleeping in the same bed because of this disaster.

* * *

Of course Est was the first one who ends up going toward the kitchen after the sprinklers turned itself off. Her witch outfit was ruined and she thought she was going to catch a cold. While the little witch was there first, Iris, Cilan and Bianca would follow soon after. Team Rocket would come after them but they were more prepared at the very least with protecting their technology.

Apparently, Ash stayed up all night showing Trip how to make breakfast. After multiple trial and errors, they finally got breakfast ready at the table. The consequences of making simple pancakes (along with the eggs, bacon, and hash browns), was a messy kitchen. If you looked at the kitchen, it looked like the flour exploded on everything from the refrigerator to the sink. The eggshells were cracked all over the place. Whatever didn't make it into the stirring bowl got on the floor and the table, and that was basically a whole carton of eggs.

The smoke came from no one apparently watching the bacon and leaving the frying pan on high. The smoke reached the smoke detector and the sprinkles went off as a result.

Pikachu and Vanillite would have been ashamed of their trainers if they weren't covered in flour, milk and water. Their trainers weren't any better though. Trip looked pissed when all was said and done and Ash had this stupid grin on his face.

"What the hell Ash! I asked you to watch the frying pan and you couldn't even do that!"

"Come on Trip! I was helping you out."

"I did not need help with that!"

"But you couldn't carry everything to the table."

"You…"

Est's eyebrow continued to twitch as she got their attention.

"HEY!"

They both flinched at the tone of voice she was using.

"So I get everyone to bed and I finally finish repairing my hat that you destroyed Trip…and when I finally close my eyes, the sun is coming up. Just when I fall asleep and have the most pleasant dream with Ilyana, the sprinkles come off! I come all the way down here thinking there's a fire and then I see my best friend's son and his boyfriend covered in food like their was a food fight and you caused all of this mess…WITHOUT ME!"

Trip predicted that Est had nothing interested to say. If it weren't her though, Iris would have something to say first.

"You two did all of this…you two are such kids…" She ended up muttering. "And you're not killing us today."

"Morning everyone…"

Bianca reached the group and…the pajamas she changed into were rather revealing especially when water was poured on them. Iris was lucky that she was flat chested or Cilan could have seen right through it. Bianca on the other hand was not excused.

"C-C-C-Cover up!" Cilan ended up shouting as he took his top off and through it over her. It was better that he was half naked over Bianca revealing her chest.

Bianca was still dazed so she didn't realize that her boobs were being shown. She was lucky that she was with them or there might have been problems.

Ash just continued grinning at the group. "The foods done."

No one wanted to taste the breakfast after what happened at dinner. However, Ash was adamant about the whole thing and assuring everyone that Trip got it right this time. Cilan wasn't so sure about that. He just wanted to go back to his room and change. That's what ended up happening to everyone though before they all decided to start eating. Trip did not want to see Ash's face after what he went through last night. It was an amazing thing he had ever experienced because no one would volunteer to help him cook from the beginning to the end. Many people would give up. Ash did not give up on Trip though and even though they both messed up together, he was happy that everything was done. The only thing that pissed him off was that Ash thought it would be funny to throw flour in his face and start a mini food fight that would explain the kitchen's predicament.

In the end, everyone just hurried along with changing into their normal clothes that were not hit by the sprinkles surprisingly. The food was still hot so they weren't missing much.

While everyone was changing, Trip got a look around the areas that were on the list. Besides the sprinklers wetting everything, all the things on the list minus the garden were finished. All he would have to do is wipe everything up and he would be done…besides the garden though…but he didn't want to touch the garden for good reasons.

As a reward for helping though, he prepared better Pokémon food for them than yesterday. He didn't make it at all. It was just a better brand that he fed his Pokémon. They deserved it for their hard work.

The group didn't want to sit in the dining area again, but Ash convinced them otherwise. He ended up having to test the food in front of the group again to prove that there was no poison this time. He ate the pancakes without hesitation and kept going on from there.

"This is better than what you cooked yesterday~" Ash praised. "Glad I was there to see this through."

"Gee…thanks…"

It was hard to tell if Trip was thanking him sincerely or being sarcastic. It didn't matter now as everyone looked at his or her food. Est, who wasn't sitting at the end this time, was already serving herself as she was speaking to Jessie.

"Yay! Blueberry pancakes are my favorite~" Est declared as she snatched the blueberries from one side of the table.

Jessie seemed to ignore her at first, but like Est who had no taste buds originally, she too thought it was better tasting than the food yesterday. (She didn't understand why James and Meowth passed out though.)

"It's not poison…" Iris stated as she bit into her bacon.

"Does everyone here think I tried to kill them yesterday?"

"Of course." Est said with a grin as she snatched some bacon right underneath Bianca's nose.

Trip glared at her before giving her an evil smile. "Speaking of bad cooking, I realized last night that someone swapped the tomato sauce with soy sauce."

"Oh really? Are you sure you didn't just take everything out and then put whatever into the sauce?"

"No. I'm pretty sure it was there when I started cooking. And I'm almost certain that it was missing after I kicked you out of the kitchen."

"Your point."

Est didn't realize that Trip had a frying pan behind him. Iris and Bianca's eyes widened in horror as he hit her on the back of the head causing her to scream and turn around to face Trip directly.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?"

"Because of you, I messed up yesterday and you're making me look like the idiot!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"To hell you don't!"

Cilan was actually amused by this scene and mumbled one thing. "It's chasing time."

And that's exactly what happened. Trip tried to hit her again and Est jumped out of the seat. Luckily, the hit wasn't strong enough to hit anything. Est started running for life with a piece of bacon still in her mouth and Trip gave chase around the dining room. Everyone just watched the scene either in horror or amusement, or if you were Team Rocket, you were eating the food before the twerps got their grubby hands on it.

"Trip…shouldn't be hitting a girl!" Bianca exclaimed as she stood up attempting to break up the fight.

"I think you should leave those two alone." Cilan said, still having his evil grin on his face. "If she's not here, then more food for us."

"I don't like your way of thinking…" Iris said with a sigh.

Ash was just watching the scene before he busted out laughing causing Trip to stop. Est kept running and eventually crashed into the wall. Her Zorua, that was hiding in her hat still just snickered at his trainer failing badly again.

"What's so funny?" Trip asked annoyed that Ash was laughing at him.

His friends were wondering what was so funny because what Cilan was laughing at was completely different from what Ash found funny.

"Nothing. You just seem like you're enjoying yourself for a change."

Trip blinked not understanding what he meant at first before he absorbed the information and understood. He instantly hid the frying pan behind his back and said nothing. Est rubbed her forehead that grew a noticeable red bump before turning toward her attacker. The pain she felt was instantly gone when she noticed his face.

"Ahh~ How cute!"

"Shut up…I lose my temper whenever you're around!"

"Don't say that to your elders!"

"I'll say what I want when you grow an inch."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY HEIGHT!"

It seemed like the chase was going in reverse now. Instead of Trip chasing Est, she was chasing him around with nothing but a nasty temper when the red button was pressed. Now everyone was laughing now at the display of immaturity. This sort of atmosphere should have lasted forever…

The happy moment was suddenly ruined when there was a crash at the door. Everyone stopped what they were doing because it sounded like someone was trying to break in.

"W-What was that?" Bianca ended up asking as she stood up ready to panic.

Ash turned to Trip who noticed that he froze instantly. He didn't have time to get to him though because there was a voice at the door…a voice anyone here would forget.

"TRIP, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? YOUR TIME IS UP!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 6183 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. It was food poisoning that knocked Ash out. Trip wasn't trying to kill anyone, but knowing how dark this story is, it wouldn't be a surprise if he tried to. Trip has watched too much When They Cry so what goes to say he wouldn't put a needle in their food? He won't…
> 
> 2\. I tried to make the Ash/Trip scene cute and meaningful to the story. I'm still debating if the two will end up together in this story. It's taking Ash way too long to realize that he even has a crush on Trip, but because he's so oblivious to romance, it's hard to write him falling in love right off the bat. Trip on the other hand is easier to have fall in love with Ash first, but I still like it's too soon. However, this scene seems more like a friendship scene as I kind of hinted in the last chapter that Trip didn't have that many friends. To be fair, the three girls that I mention in the other stories that are considered his "friends" are Paige, Tio and Tiana but Trip doesn't see them as true friends. And if you read Twins of Evil, you'll know that Tio and Tiana are very unstable to have as friends. And take it from me when I say that Paige is probably the worse friend you can have but she's not a bad person.
> 
> 3\. I feel like it's unrealistic to stay up until morning to cook breakfast without feeling tired. Then again, Ash kind of had a food fight with Trip so that will very well keep them up and with messing up repeatedly. However, I'll just say this. I was being vague about what happened during the time they were cooking but I'm certain that Ash is just as bad of a cook as Misty and May are. He's never in the kitchen for this reason and if he's trying to help Trip, it ended in disaster…but they finally accomplished something after losing sleep.
> 
> 4\. I forgot to mention that Est is a huge tease. She may look like a kid but she knows her stuff and likes hooking people up. Since she and Jessie basically were the only ones that did not suffer food poisoning from Trip's food, they basically had to carry everyone to their rooms and change their clothes. It's creepy in retrospect if you think Est changed them but Trip had to change Ash and Cilan since Est is a pervert. So yeah, even though Trip changed Cilan's clothes, that didn't stop Est from changing Iris' clothes and putting her in the same bed as Cilan.
> 
> 5\. You know how some Pokémon like their trainers like Chikorita to Ash or Piplup to Dawn (and Vanillite to Trip in my stories), I decided that Excadrill would have a crush on Iris. I mean, he was blushing when she saved him from falling off the cliff when he was just a Drilbur and his fear of disappointing her comes off as a lover that failed to protect his girlfriend. This is how Cilan sees it though. Now whether or not Iris is aware of it is up to interpretation but I'll crack jokes about this every now and then.
> 
> 6\. I think I made Cilan act a little gay for freaking out that Iris was in his bed and when Bianca's boobs were see through in her wet pajamas. He's fabulous I know, but I wonder if this will work for this story if I want him with Iris…
> 
> 7\. I didn't mention this in the last chapter but I don't mind woman getting hit in slapstick. People shout out sexist when a man hits a woman and it's never played for laughs but when it's a man, he can take all the abuse he wants from the woman and she won't have to suffer the consequences. For a while, I don't see what's wrong with a man hitting a woman in a comedic fashion. It's not domestic abuse at all from how I see it and I think it's more sexist for woman to hit a man and not suffer the consequences and people calling the woman the victim when a man hits them. Est doesn't say anything about the whole thing because Trip's mother obviously told her son that it's all right to hit woman if she pisses him off or rather, it's all right to hit them if he thinks their actions are unjust. However, Est is slapstick material so Trip can hit her all she wants and she'll just bitch but it's nothing serious. Of course, in the story, characters like Bianca will think that it's messed up but it's Est so she'll be fine whether she's thrown out a window or hit with a frying pan (which by the way is a shout out of Tangled because Rapunzel is a princess trapped in a tower because of her evil (I personally don't think Gothelle is that evil) stepmother and needs her prince to let her go out into the open.)


	10. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trip's uncle Bane does not the fact that the mansion isn't in top condition. As a result, he forces, Ash, his friends and Pokémon and Team Rocket out of the house before he throws them out by force. Trip doesn't want them to leave for obvious reasons but Ash swears that they'll be back if the drawbridge isn't open yet. Trip can only wonder about that one though…

"I'm sorry sir. No one can go across this bridge until Clay gives me permission to."

"Ah come on! You know he's not going to do that for a while!"

"Even if that's true, this is for precaution. He does not want the criminals escaping this way and being responsible for them."

"Why is he such a…god!"

Blair ended up storming off on the man who was trying to give him more information, but it was pointless info now. Blair already knew the story. Nobody was allowed to cross the drawbridge into Driftveil City because of the bombing in Nimbasa City. While it was a smart thing to do, Blair felt like he wouldn't be able to solve this mystery if he was stuck on one side. What he was planning to do was wait until the evening to surf across the bridge with his Samurott and be done with it. He would get in trouble if he was caught but he had to do this. He needed to figure out if N was really the person that ordered the attack or if it was that man Ghetsis who ordered the bomb to detonate. Blair bet that it was definitely Ghetsis. Just seeing the man for the first time in Accumula Town, Blair knew that man was nothing but trouble.

As he was a good distant from the man and in other words, the town close by, a member of Team Plasma ambushed him…or not. Getting a better look at the uniform, it looked like it was a member of Cipher…what were people from Orre doing here?

"You are a threat to this mission." He told him. "I need you to disappear."

He instantly sent out a Pokémon. It was only a mere Sneasel in Blaire's eyes but it didn't matter. Blair instantly took out a Pokémon and threw it into the air.

"Let's finish this quickly Alice."

A fighting Pokémon known as Mienshao appeared from her Pokémon. The Cipher member attacked first with fake out. Blair didn't tell his Pokémon to dodge as she took the blow and flinched. This was followed up by a fast quick attack resulting in Alice jumped back.

"Metal Claw!" The Cipher member ordered.

Sneasel's claws grew a metallic color as it tried to claw at Alice.

"Alice, detect."

The weasel Pokémon blocked the attack with ease.

"Now drain punch." Blair ordered in a calm tone.

Alice proved to be faster than the Sneasel and landed a direct punch at the dark Pokémon. It was super effective to the fourth degree. It only took one attack to send Sneasel into the tree knocking it out.

"What? How could you KO my Pokémon so fast?"

"I don't have time for this."

Blair turned to the Cipher member and stared him down. "Alice, knock him out with hi jump kick will you?"

The Cipher member did not expect Blair to attack the trainer directly after losing. He didn't stand a chance with a powerful kick attack to the head. If she wanted, Alice could have killed him. However, it was considered a light tap in her terms but he was still knocked out.

"Alright, I guess I have to make a u turn for now…" Blair mumbled with a sigh as he recalled his Pokémon to her Pokéball. "Good job Alice."

As he was about to leave, someone through a Pokéball at the Sneasel easily capturing it despite it belonging to another trainer; this caught Blair's attention as he turned to see who had the nerve to capture someone else' Pokémon.

"Alright, I got his Sneasel back."

"And who might you be kid?" Blair asked.

Blair got a good look at the kid. He looked to be Trip's age but probably a little old…like say around thirteen years old. He had spiky red hair and huge green eyes. Judging from his clothes, he didn't look like he was from Unova at all. Blair would predict that this kid is from Orre because their style is way different there than Unova. What made him stand out was the machine that was on his right arm (left from the kid's point of view) and the scouter over his right eye. The kid turned it off when he took notice of Blair.

"No one special. Just reclaiming a Pokémon that was originally mine."

"If you say so kid."

Blair turned to leave but the kid called out to him.

"Wait!"

He stopped walking. "Hmm?"

"You took out that guy like he was nothing."

"He was nothing."

"Umm…do you think you can help me out…you see…there were these group of men that stole all my Pokémon…and I need help getting them all back."

"How many?"

"Uh…"

"You don't even have to answer that. Just tell me your name and I'll think about it."

The kid seemed intimidated with the way Blair was speaking to him. The brunette couldn't help it though. He was so use to talking to people around his age that he had a harder time speaking to younger trainers…and he was trying to be the champion.

"The name is Blair but everyone calls me Black." Blair introduced. "Yours?"

"…Michael…and I need help snagging my Pokémon back from this man and his thugs."

"What's his name?"

"…Bane…"

* * *

Trip couldn't do anything as he watched his uncle and his men barged through the dining room uninvited. This was terrible news for him. He knew he hung up on him but he wasn't expecting him to come back so soon. He needed more time to find the key. He couldn't afford him to be here now.

"You stupid brat! I knocked on the door but you didn't answer! It's your fault I had to knock down that damn door!"

"You're not the one paying for it!" Est suddenly shouted taking a step in front of Trip. As a bodyguard of Trip's aunt, it was her duty to protect Trip too. "Why the hell are you here?"

"Huh? Who's the girl?" Trip's uncle asked one of his friends.

"Beats me."

"Get lost little girl. I'm not here to deal with you."

She glared daggers at him. "Little…what did you just…"

Ash and the group were caught off guard that they didn't have time to react like Trip and Est did to the uninvited guests. Bane took notice of the group at the table and then glared back at his nephew.

"So while I was gone for this whole week trying to pay back some debt that your mother put me in, instead of cleaning this house, you throw a party with a group of freeloaders!"

"I…"

"Not only that, this place looks worse than when I left! Are you deliberately trying to piss me off you little twat?"

Trip visibly flinched and stepped back. His uncle had a terrible temper…but Est's temper was worse.

"Did you just call me little?" Est questioned in a threatening tone.

"Yeah I did little girl. Now get lost before I get pissed."

Est retaliated by taking the frying pan out of Trip's hand and threw it in his uncle's face. This stunned everyone in the room particularly the man who was hit. He did not take that well at her.

"You little bitch…" He cursed as he walked over her and stood above her. "You need to know how to stay out of a families business."

"Sorry, I work for Maddalen's sister so this is my business." She told him not intimidated by his presence at all.

It was a bad idea to mention the ex-wife of his brother. Trip's uncle's response was to grab her by the throat and throw her across the table. The food scattered everywhere and what wasn't eaten fell onto the floor.

"! Est!" Trip called out in worry that she might have been hurt.

Jessie was appalled by how Trip's uncle treated the little witch. His friends however found this amusing and laughed.

"That bitch had it coming Bane." The guy with the glasses told him.

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" Iris questioned, as it was her turn to fight with Bane.

Cilan was starting to panic now. He didn't want Iris to get hurt by these thugs who weren't afraid to throw little girls onto the table.

"Iris, you shouldn't-"

"I'm with Iris! Why did you do that?" Ash questioned in anger.

 _Great, now Ash is going to fight them._ Cilan thought with a sigh.

"She's in the way. Now if you excuse me, I need some alone time with my nephew here."

He seized Trip's arm without warning causing him to cry in pain at how hard he was gripping his arm. Ash's first reaction was to be the next one to attack him directly with a headbutt to the stomach. Not expecting to be attacked again after the display he just showed, he released Trip. Trip fell back into Cilan's arm as the green haired gym leader decided to back Ash up along with Iris and Bianca who did not like how Trip was being treated in front of them.

"You fucking brats…" He cursed as he took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. "I need to teach you a lesson. Ferrothorn, let's go!"

Out of the Pokéball came a spiky ball of steel with evil eyes and three large vines with more smaller spiky balls as its arms. Ash had never seen that Pokémon before so he took out his Pokédex.

_**Ferrothorn, the thorn pod Pokémon. They attach themselves to cave ceilings, firing steel spikes at targets passing beneath them. It fights by swinging around its three spiky feelers. A hit from these steel spikes can reduce a boulder to rubble.** _

"So a fire Pokémon would be the best choice…" Ash muttered to himself. He didn't have any of his Pokéballs on him because of his Pokémon were eating right next door…

"Hey kid, you shouldn't be getting up!" The group could hear Jessie tell Est as she sat up instantly very pissed at what Bane just did to her.

"That bastard is mine!" She cursed as she took a Pokéball out of her dress pocket and threw it in the air. "Litwick, I need you!"

The Pokémon that came out of the Pokéball was a cute candle Pokémon with a purple flame on its head. Instantly Team Rocket backed off remembering the Litwick incident not too long ago.

"Inferno those assholes!" She ordered.

Trip managed to recover from the shock and turned to Est in horror. "Don't do it Est! You'll burn this place to the ground!"

The command was already given though. The flame on the candle Pokémon grew almost instantly as it shot a blue flame from the tip of the flame. It looked like it was going to hit Ferrothorn dead on…however, before the flame could collide, the attack instantly subsided.

"W-What the hell?"

Bane and his friends ended up laughing at her stupidity.

"Are you stupid little girl? Whoever turned the sprinklers on was a genius! Fire won't work here!"

"Dammit…then I'll just have to use clear smog!"

"Est…" Trip tried again but she wasn't listening.

Litwick fired a clump of special mud from the tip of its flame this time. It hit Ferrothorn dead on but it didn't seem like it did any damage at all. Bane and his friends laughed harder than they did originally. Even Cilan facepalmed at her stupidity and that was when you knew that Est failed at what she did best…

"Poison…doesn't affect steel Pokémon Est…" Trip reminded her.

"They…don't…?"

"And that's basic…" Trip had to add to insult her.

Bane continued to hold a smug look on his face as her Litwick looked confused because of its attacks were working.

"Oh, you stupid girl, and to think you were added to that whore's family."

"!"

"Ferrothorn, use power whip."

The attack wouldn't be affected against a fire Pokémon but Est's Litwick wasn't that powerful to begin with. It only took one swing from the whip to send Litwick flying into its trainer. She crashed into Team Rocket this time.

"Weak!" He taunted with his friends making funny noises to insult the little bodyguard.

"Dammit…" She cursed as she called her Litwick back, "why does this always happen to me…"

"Let us handle this Est!" Bianca told her as her Pokémon came back to her after finished eating only to witness the scene in front of them. "Pignite, let's go!"

"Pignite!"

Ash turned to Pikachu who nodded his head in agreement. "We got this Pikachu."

"Pika!"

"You kids have to team up against me? Pathetic. Ferrothorn, take them all out with power whip!"

The vine was swung again like a whip. Pikachu was quick though and able to dodge easily while Bianca's Pignite had his strength improved overtime and was able to block it with both of his hands.

"What?"

"Ash!" Bianca called out.

"Right! Pikachu, thunderbolt!"

Sparks were coming out of his cheeks. Pikachu was about to attack when.

"YOU BETTER STOP RIGHT NOW!"

The battle stopped almost instantly as everyone turned to Trip.

"Trip, are you going to stop the battle again?" Bianca asked annoyed.

"Ash…you know if you use any electric attacks, we will all get zapped, right?"

The Kanto trainer instantly caught his mistake and turned away ashamed.

"Stupid and childish…" The photographer said with a sigh as he turned to his uncle and gave the best glare he could muster. "I don't know who you are in barging into my mom's mansion uninvited and breaking her shit, but I won't have it!"

"Shut up brat! You don't have priority over this place! It was passed down to me and your father!"

"Until you fell into debt." Trip added that caused his uncle to growl at him. "Because you owe mom money, you don't have any rights to this place. Now I suggest you get the hell out now before I call for help."

The threat would have worked but Bane didn't budge. "And who are you going to call huh? You can't call daddy because he'll side with me, and he'll take you back home where you belong."

"…Who said I was going to call that pathetic old man?"

Bane and his friends caught on what he meant by that. His friends backed off as Bane's expression darkened. "You wouldn't."

"I will call Rhia Mephisto. She may hate my guts but she hates you guys more. If you don't leave in five minutes, I will get her and her followers here and I don't think she'll be happy with you owing her daughter money."

"Fuck, let's get out of here!" One of his friends shouted already ready to leave this joint.

Trip knew this would get them to leave but he wouldn't be so lucky next time. Bane recalled his Ferrothorn as he continued to glare at his nephew.

"We will be back tonight you brat. Don't think you own this place because you're a son of a whore!"

"Don't call her a whore you bastard!" Est continued to curse him out.

"And if your friends are still here, I will be arriving with your daddy and he will make your life and your friends miserable!"

Bane turned to his friends as they left through the door they broke. Trip waited until they were out of sight before he allowed himself to breathe again.

"I thought he was going to kill me…"

"Trip, are you okay?" Ash asked instantly looking at his arm to see if there were any bruises.

"Yeah…he just surprised me. I'm use to this but…" He looked at Est. "Est…"

"What?"

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"

"!"

"Not only did you disobey an order from Mephisto family but you also demonstrated how much you suck at battling! You are supposed to be a bodyguard for my aunt but if you can't even beat that loser, how do you expect to protect her?"

"A-Aren't you being too harsh on her?" Cilan questioned worried that Trip would kick them out right after he was done yelling at the witch.

"No, she's an adult! She should at least prove to her junior that she can battle!"

Zorua poked out of Est's hat as if he wanted to defend his trainer. Est slowly stood up and bowed. "I'm sorry…"

"…You can save your apologies for Ilyana. She'll need it more than me."

"…"

The group all stared at Trip wondering what he was going to do next. He just shook his head in frustration as if he was thinking about something important but tossed the idea aside.

"I'm sorry…but you guys needs to leave before they get back." Trip told them. "I don't need him to keep barking orders at me."

"No way!" Iris instantly protested. "We're not going to leave you with someone like that!"

Ash and Bianca instantly agreed. Even Team Rocket, despite growing colder were appalled with what they just witnessed and nodded their head in silent union.

"You don't have to worry about me." Trip told them in a monotone voice. "I'm use to him doing this."

"You know, you shouldn't let him push you around." James suddenly spoke up. "If this really is your place, you should force him out no matter how many times he comes back."

"And what would you know?" The photographer asked, his voice was starting to crack.

James knew what Trip was going through. He was rich too and when he couldn't meet the expectations of his family and refused to marry his psycho fiancé, he ran away and became a member of Team Rocket. Trip might end up doing the same thing at this rate if he kept this up and the last thing that needed to happen was a kid like him going down the wrong path…

"He's right!" Ash agreed as he pumped his fist in the air. "We'll stay here and help you out. If he tries anything funny, we'll back you up."

"That's right!" Bianca agreed.

Trip didn't understand why everyone wanted to help him. This was his problem and he would deal with it all by himself. Vanillite looked up at him with glimmering eyes. His Vanillite wanted him to get help from the abuse he was getting. Trip however knew what he had to do first.

"If you want to help me out, you can pack your things and leave before he gets back." He repeated as his Pokémon came through the door staring at their trainer concerned for his choice.

"But Trip…"

"Ash…I'll only ask one more time…please leave before he comes back. It's all I'm asking."

The group realized that the gray-eyed trainer did not want their help at all and that they were wasting their time. Cilan was the one to give up first as he returned his Pokémon that came out of the room next door. Iris and Bianca soon did the same thing. Ash continued to glance over Trip's back in disappointment as he too ended up calling his Pokémon that came through the door. Team Rocket already called back their Woobat and Yamask from that room. Now all they needed to do is to get their things and leave.

"Trip-"

"Est, go with them."

"What?"

"As a member of the Mephisto family, I command you to go with them and make sure they make it to Driftveil City in one piece."

"…Understood…"

She didn't want to leave him alone, but she could not disobey and order from the Mephisto family. She slowly made her way up the stairs. Trip knew she would start crying soon like a little kid but there was nothing he could do about it. He just wanted to be alone.

* * *

Despite packing up to leave the mansion before the moon rose into the sky, the group insisted on helping Trip tidy up the rest of the mansion. The kitchen and any room that was hit by the sprinklers were sanitary now and Trip managed to get his Gurdurr to fix the door in record time, but Gurdurr was not impressed.

Team Rocket ended up leaving first on their jetpacks. They swore they would be back to open the door when his uncle wasn't around and just left. Est thought they were rude to just get up and leave like that. Then again, they didn't look like Trip's friends.

Since Cilan was feeling better, there no longer was a reason for him to stay. He appreciated Trip allowing them to stay in the mansion but he feared that Trip was hiding something very sinister from the group and staying any longer would get them all killed, and he couldn't allow that.

The Eevee that was with Ash decided to tag along with him despite belong to Bane's uncle apparently. That didn't matter to him though. He liked Ash and if Ash were willing to tolerate his tantrums, then he would become another member of Ash's team.

Joi also had to leave with Est. She would have waited for her trainer Paige but because Est outright stated that she had to pick her up, the Audino had no choice but to comply.

Once night came, the group was already waiting for Ash outside of the mansion. He needed to talk to Trip one last time before they headed out.

"Trip, are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine." He said for the sixth time that day. "I'm use to my uncle doing this."

"…You sure?"

Trip just sighed. "You're such a worrywart. Whom do you take after?"

"I think my mom but…"

The younger trainer shook his head in annoyance. "Whatever you say. Now leave before he comes back."

Looking down at Vanillite though, she did not want Pikachu to go and kept clinging onto Pikachu's tail. Pikachu was not pleased by this action but didn't attempt to shock her like before.

"Come on Vanillite. They can't leave unless you stop that."

"Puu…"

Trip sighed as he gently pulled Vanillite off of Pikachu and held her in his arms.

"Ash, you really don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine."

The two stared at each other in silence. Ash didn't want to leave without reassuring him that everything was going to be all right. Even though he said multiple times that he would be fine on his own, his eyes didn't say that at all.

"I'll come back for you."

"? Huh?"

"If the drawbridge won't be lowered because of the incident in Nimbasa, then I'll make a u turn and come back and get you. I'll drag Cilan and Iris back if I have to. You don't deserve to suffer here by yourself because of us."

"…"

To Trip's surprise, Ash grabbed a hold of Trip's hand and held it up. Trip only needed one arm to hold Vanillite so…

"Let's pinky promise that you'll be okay."

"Why would we need that?"

"You'll my friend Trip, and as a friend, I have to make sure that you'll be all right on your own."

Trip felt his heart beat faster at Ash's commitment to such a small thing. It felt nice that someone cared for him this much. He recalled Amanda telling him in the past that he'll meet someone who would go to the extreme for him just to make sure he was okay. Ash might fit that requirement and that thought alone made a small smile appear on his lips.

"If he tries anything, I'll kick his ass." Trip told him, his voice having more confidence than before as he interlocked his pinky with Ash's. "Just focus on your journey."

It wasn't just Trip that had his heart beating faster. That feeling in Ash's stomach returned with a fast heartbeat. He had pinky swore with many people…and he wouldn't name a certain someone that broke it when they were young but this was different. It really was…

_Trip…_

Pikachu didn't know what his trainer was doing when he was apparently leaning closer. Trip just closed his eyes thinking that Ash was going to do that, but…

"Oh! This is why Ash is taking so long!"

"I guess he's not a kid after all~"

The two instantly jumped back when they heard the voices coming from the door. Est had the most perverted grin on her face while Iris just nodded her head in triumph. Bianca was in the back trying to figure out what was going on since Cilan was preventing her mind from being corrupt (since Iris was apparently a loss cause.)

"We're not stopping you from smooching~" Est continued.

Ash was still confused but his cheeks were red. Trip however…

"N-Nothing wasn't going to happen! Now get the hell out Est!"

"Oh boo…denial."

"I will throw that knife at you again if you keep this up. Now get out!"

Est kept grinning as he pushed the little witch out the door along with everyone else that was in his way. He turned to Ash still beat red.

"I hope you keep your promise…"

"I never break promises that I can't keep."

* * *

Trip watched as the group walked down the road. He was alone again now meaning he would have to deal with his stupid uncle by himself. He would be fine though. He promised Ash everything would be okay and he was going to keep his promise.

"Vanillite...let's get ready."

"Puu!"

Trip was planning to protect himself from his uncle…but that wasn't going to happen.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?"

It turns out that his uncle and his friends never left the area. They waited in the room where those two bodies were until Ash and the group were gone before they made their move.

They were crazy prepared. There were six cages that were aligned to the wall. Five of them had Trip's Pokémon in them desperately trying to break out. Whatever attacks they pulled on the cage had no affect though. If you looked closer at the design of the cage, you could tell that the design had something to do with the Pokémon's type that prevented them from breaking out.

"You've been a defiant boy." Bane began with an evil smirk on his face. "We wouldn't have to do this if you just came with us this morning."

"I am not your slave!" Trip spat. "Now give my Pokémon back!"

Trip realized that he didn't have his Pokéballs with him. When he was cleaning with Ash and the group this afternoon, he left them in his room…but there was no way that anyone could have gotten in there unless…

"You bastard!"

"You're suppose to be the owner of this mansion but you don't know all the tricks to it. How do you expect to beat me if you can't protect your own room?"

His men cackled in the background at this comment. Vanillite glared at him as she floated in front of her trainer.

"Oh? The ice cream is going to take me down? That's amusing! Ferrothorn, use shadow end."

Trip didn't even notice Ferrothorn clinging to the ceiling like an alien predator ready to rip its opponent's head off. It instantly rushed at Vanillite with a powerful shadow attack.

"Vanillite, dodge it!"

The ice Pokémon barely had time to dodge an attack that fast.

"Capture it with power whip!"

Ferrothorn whipped Vanillite with one of its three whips before seizing her with his second one.

"! Vanillite! You got to get out of there!"

"Puu…"

She struggled to break free but Ferrothorn had a powerful grip on her.

"While you're at it Ferrothorn, use power whip on this brat."

Ferrothorn wasn't afraid to attack an unarmed trainer. It used its two free whips to attack Trip. The dirty blonde braced himself but that was no good. The attack was strong enough to send him flying into the wall near the door. He fell through the door and hit the bottom of the stairs. Bane's friends continued to laugh at the display he was showing in front of his Pokémon.

"Dammit!" Trip cursed as he tried to stand up.

"Shadow hold!" He heard his uncle instruct.

He felt a powerful shadow grab a hold of his legs preventing him from standing up.

"…Damn you…closing the hearts of Pokémon…you monster…"

Bane just smirked as he walked in front of his Ferrothorn. He grabbed his nephew by the hair and with immense strength, threw him back into the torture chamber. He landed on the table but that was the last place he wanted to be because he landed on top of the dead body. His heart started to sink feeling the cold body below him.

"You call me a monster, but you're no better than your mother." Bane spat back as he closed the door behind him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"That tall tale won't work on anyone here, especially me! We all know what you did to our friends! You, bring me the evidence!"

Trip's eyes widened in horror when the man with the video camera gave his video camera to the scrawny friend in order to pull out something from a bag he was carrying. It was a head or rather what was left of it. The head was burned by a powerful fire attack but even before that happened though, the skull was cracked to the point where you could see the inside of the forehead. The younger trainer wanted to look away at the burnt head but he couldn't. Images of what happened last week came back to him making him want to scream.

"You killed him, you murderer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 6591 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. Beginning was about Blair/Black and introducing Michael from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. Now, I'll say it right here. I think Wes was the most badass protagonist we ever got. Michael is a let down protagonist if you ask me because he looks childish in comparison to Wes. When I rented this game, I was disappointed on how the game focused on technology to beat Cipher instead of the supernatural abilities like Rui's aura. So in this story, I'm going to have Michael be overshadowed by Wes and this is only based on the dialogue between him and Blair. As a result, he gets ambushed again and got most of the Pokémon he snagged stolen by Trip's uncle hence why he goes to Unova by himself to claim all the Pokémon before they get distributed throughout the Unova region. This ambush has left Michael shaken though hence why he's on the quiet side instead of being cheerful according to his game. Also, note that Sneasel cannot be caught in XD but in the original game instead. I'll just say Wes gave him the Sneasel to purify himself.
> 
> 2\. Blair's personality…I like the idea of him being a nice guy overall but I think being a deadpan snarker is good too to add personality. Also, I'm making it obvious that he has no problems attacking trainers if he thinks they're dangerous. Bianca is worried about him though as evident in chapter 2 hinting that his personality changed to become more dangerous in battle. He has a huge obsession with N to those Isshushipping fans. Of course, this is more of a case of "Would someone like him kill so many innocent people?" Blair already knows the answer but he needs to confirm it to N in person. But I gave him this personality because I hate his manga counterpart personality…why did they have to make him a loud mouth when his character gives off more of a balance nature. But if you like Blair's personality here, you'll love Whitlea…wait…I already wrote her in Perfect Shot.
> 
> 2\. Est sucks at battling despite being a bodyguard. I'm planning to dedicate at least one filler chapter to her trying to be a better trainer. Her Zorua would be a better Pokémon to use than her Litwick though, but if I want her to be useful, she'll have to be a good trainer fast!
> 
> 3\. I gave Trip a last name he doesn't like using…Mephisto. Just so you know, Mephisto comes from the name Mephistopheles. For those of you who don't know, Mephistopheles is the name of the demon that made a pact with Faust…and for those who know who Faust was…this pact…fucked him over big time. In other words, Trip's grandmother bares the name Mephisto and that can basically hint on how messed up the family is and how evil Trip's grandmother Rhia is. Est is scared of her is one thing but Trip's uncle is also terrified of her. Because Mephisto is related to the devil that is associated with Satan, many people will run away if they ever found out the last name of Trip…this would hint why Trip doesn't have that many friends…heh heh…and this fucks over Trip's aunt too. Trip's mother however embraces the name and kills…but yeah…the Mephisto family can be considered assassins below the surface.
> 
> 4\. Notice how Bianca is becoming more competent in battle suddenly? This is technically the part of the game where she got better and anime Bianca is weak in comparison. She should have her Pokémon do something cool like catching an attack instead of taking it. More to come of course as I mentioned with Est battling above.
> 
> 4\. I made it seem like Ash was going to kiss Trip. Maybe he was, maybe not but since the mansion is dark, you wouldn't be able to tell and Est and Iris are just assuming that Ash was attempting that. You can interpret this scene the way you want. I personally see it as Ash going to bump foreheads with Trip similar to what Ash did to his Seawaddle when he caught him.
> 
> 5\. Trip's uncle is from Orre if I didn't mention that before hence why he has a Shadow Ferrothorn. I'm going to cheer when there is a third game of this series announced!


	11. First Taste of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out that Trip wasn't so innocent after all. He remembers what happened on that night and what he did after that. Despite trying to hide it, the pain is starting to resurface and there's no way anyone would forgive him if they find out…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for those that haven't watched Umineko or played arcs 5-8, but mainly spoilers from EP 7 and EP 8. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

_He didn't want to remember what happened last week. It was horrible and he didn't wanted to put it in the past, but his uncle wasn't going to let him do that. Seeing the skull made him remember what happened that night._

_Trip remembered being in the rose garden. He was screaming for help and for the drunkard bastard to get off of him. He wouldn't listen to him and kept ravishing his body. Trip didn't know what to do when he wouldn't stop. The drunken man tore off the middle portion of the witch outfit out and started to play with his nipples._

_"S-Stop!"_

_"Huh? Where are the boobs? Oh wait, you're flat!"_

_"N-No! S-Someone help!"_

_The man was pushing his luck though. He started trailing his slimy tongue across the younger trainer's body and kept ripping the dress, as he got closer to his crotch._

_"Dammit…stop! I'm fucking underage!"_

_"I don't care…"_

_Trip knew had to do something or he was going to lose his virginity right there. He looked around for a weapon he could use to attack him. With all of his might, he kicked the man in the groin when he let his guard down to rush toward a rose bush. He found something that could be a potential weapon._

_"…It's a…"_

_"Cum back~" The drunk man said in a laughing fit as he walked over toward the dirty blonde in a zombie like state._

_Trip knew he wasn't thinking clearly. He just knew that if he were caught, he wouldn't forgive himself. Grabbing the handle of the weapon, he swung it at the man when he got too close. The man did not expect to be hit by a lethal weapon and fell to the ground holding onto his stomach that had a huge wound with blood gushing out. He tried to crawl away but Trip raised the weapon the air and chopped his legs._

_"ARGHHHH!"_

_Trip didn't seem to realize what he was doing. With the hatchet in his hand he continued to swing down at the man who couldn't defend himself._

_Die…die…die…DIE!_

_With each swing, the man kept choking up blood but it only took a powerful swing to the skull to finish him off. The hatchet got stuck in the skull so when Trip tried to pull it out; he ended up falling over from the sudden weight gain._

_Trip managed to snap out of his murderous trance to look at what he done. He instantly felt sick to his stomach as he tried to stand up but couldn't. His feet were wobbly, so when he stood up, he fell back down. He could however crawl to the nearby rose bush and throw up at the realization he just done._

_He really was part of the Mephisto family now. A family that was known for training Pokémon trainers on the surface but on the inside, they were hired to kill people for a high price. His grandmother was a professional until old age hit her. She leaves the job to her two daughters. Both are incompetent in their own ways. One simply refuses to take orders from her mother and the other was a pacifist that couldn't hurt a fly. It was his mother that ended up being a good assassin…and it might have passed down to him. The thrill he had when he was killing that man was in his veins…and it scared him._

_But what was worse was he needed to get rid of the body before his uncle found out. If Bane found out, he would tell his father, and his father would punish him severely for getting caught instead of being punished for murdering someone…_

_"It's not my fault…" Trip told himself as he slowly regained his composure. "It's not my fault…I didn't kill him…it was self defense…it was…"_

_"Lamp…"_

_Trip shrieked when he heard someone was there and instantly lashed out by using his strength to pull out the hatchet out of the skull and hit whatever was behind him. Fortunately for him, it was only his Lampent. Being a ghost Pokémon, weapons past right through him. Seeing his Pokémon made him relieved before he embraced the ghost. It didn't matter if the flame was burning him slightly; he needed someone or something to hug._

_"Lampent…I…"_

_Lampent put his arms around Trip and didn't say anything. However, he did look at the dead body and knew what must be done. He sheltered Trip from the sight for a couple of more minutes before he slowly released his Trainer and stared at the body. The lamp Pokémon suddenly attacked with inferno and burned the body to a crisp to Trip's horror._

_"W-What are you doing?"_

_"Lampent!"_

_"…You want me to bury the body…do you?"_

_His Lampent nodded his head. Now Trip knew that the Litwick species were dangerous and crafty. They would resort to any means to zap the life force out of their trainers. His Lampent was different from the bunch though. It actually liked Trip to the point of not wanting to steal his energy or anyone else. However, he would resort to violent needs if necessary, which was unusual for Pokémon in general._

_"…I'm going to need a shovel."_

_There was a shed in one corner of the garden. His mom left it there with few tools, but if a grass Pokémon were to attend to the garden like they were suppose to, there would be no need to open it. Who knew Trip would have to open it to bury a dead body._

_His Lampent trailed behind him when Trip used the hatchet in his hand to knock the door down. Since the shed was old, there was no need to repair it. Quickly, he searched the room for the shovel. It was still on the wall along with the other garden tools._

_"I still think it would be easier if I had my Gurdurr with me…but they don't need to be involved in this."_

_It would take time to dig a big enough hole to hide the body. Trip knew that if he tried to bury the whole body, his uncle would wonder where he went and come look for him…and then there would be more blood spilled onto the roses. Glancing at the hatchet, he knew he had to do one more thing to the body._

_"Dammit…Lampent, please look the other way."_

_His Lampent complied with his trainer's wish. When he looked away, Trip raised the hatchet again and slashed the drunkard man's hand off. He was feeling sick to his stomach again but he knew he had to do this. Slowly, he cut the man into smaller pieces so it would be easier to bury him. This included doing the left side of the arm first and then focusing on the right. He then slowly sliced the right foot off before working up toward the pelvis before switching to the left leg._

_A normal kid wouldn't have the power to swing the hatchet with full force. Trip was different though. Weapons like these were surprisingly light, but that might have to do with dealing with heavy labor in the past. The hatchet easily cracked the bones._

_The only parts he had to cut off from the fried corpse now were the head, and the body. He decapitated the head where it was connected to the neck. Since the body was burned, it was easier to do so but still a very gruesome sight. At this point, Trip didn't want to cut the body up anymore…_

_When he turned around, his eyes widened in horror upon seeing that his Lampent left to go get his Gurdurr. Explaining the situation in the Pokémon language, Gurdurr decided to help Trip. His trainer didn't know that it knew dig, but the fighting Pokémon dug a huge hole that was at least six feet deep. This would be good enough to just throw the body parts in easily. Slowly, he dragged the body parts because Trip was growing weary and threw them into the pit. There were at least ten parts to toss away like it was trash, but that's what Trip thought of this man when he killed. This man was scum that was willing to let his penis do the talking and rape a kid that looked similar to the woman he wanted to screw. He deserved death._

_"Gurdurr, can you cover it up for me?" Trip asked his fighting Pokémon._

_His Gurdurr obeyed as he put his steel beam down to quickly undo the hole that he dug. In a few minutes timed the hole was covered up again but it was kind of obvious that someone dug there. Trip could argue that he was teaching his Gurdurr a new technique if anyone asked and leave it at that._

_"Thank you…I don't know what to do without you guys…"_

_"Lamp~"_

_"Gurdurr…"_

_His Gurdurr didn't seem too happy with the deed that Trip did but his Lampent was cheerful in contrast to the disapproving look that his Gurdurr gave him._

_Trip needed to decide what to do now. The dress was ruined so he wouldn't be able to put it back where it belonged without someone asking if they looked through the drawer. The only thing he could do was to burn the evidence of this event happening. Quickly, he rushed back to the room he started in to change back into his normal clothes. This is what he should have done from the beginning instead of trying to cosplay as a witch._

_"What do I do now…?" He asked himself. He looked up to see his Pokémon near the window._

_He froze when he heard the footsteps of his uncle upstairs. He started to tremble at the realization that his uncle was looking for him. He didn't have time to watch the blood off of his hands yet. If his uncle saw him now, he'll turn him into his father…_

_"I can't allow that to happen…" Trip muttered to himself as he clenched his fist. "I'll kill them all before they get me…"_

_His Gurdurr feared the worse while his Lampent supported what violent action Trip planned next. He quickly left to the kitchen._

* * *

_Bane was yelling at Trip asking for more beer. He was already drunk but it wasn't to the point where he couldn't think for himself. He needed more beer though after the rough night he had. While he bragged about ambushing a boy in Orre that was messing with Cipher for a long time and nabbing most of his Pokémon, it didn't change the fact that it was difficult to even catch him off guard, but that was the point of Cipher hiring him to do the job because they didn't want to get their hands dirty and they just disbanded because he defeated them easily like with what that rebel did years ago. Boys like him needed to know his place._

_"I'm right here old man…" He heard Trip down the stairs. He sounded quieter for a reason but he didn't take notice._

_"There you are, you little shit! Hurry up and bring back our beer!"_

_"Coming…"_

_Bane slowly strolled back up the stairs as he waited for his nephew to come up the stairs with the beer in his hand. Bane was an impatient person so he waited by the door swearing at his nephew to hurry up. Trip took his time as he walked up to the stairs. His uncle forced him back into the room where the other six guys were. They demanded more beer for their victory and they were going to get it._

_Trip served them like he always did but he added something to the drink that these fools wouldn't figure out until it was too late. Trip just stood by the door and watched them drink. In a matter of minutes, half of them collapsed to the floor while the others started choking. Bane couldn't breathe. His vision was getting blurry. He tried to crawl over to his nephew but his strength left him fast._

_"You little…"_

_Before Bane collapsed, Trip had a sinister smile that was similar to his mom's…that of a bloody killer._

* * *

_Bane woke up just in time for hell to begin. He found himself in a dungeon chained to the wall along with four of his friends. One them was chained to a table, the other had a rope around his neck that was slowly being hoisted up into the air. Bane saw his nephew slowly pulling it up while having a knife in his hand._

_"What the fuck…?"_

_"Oh, you're awake old man. I thought you were never going to wake up."_

_"You son of a…what did you do?"_

_"Just put some sleeping pills into your beer. If you put a lot of them in there, it will act like poison. You should know that better than anyone."_

_Bane wasn't scared of this brat who was telling him that the beer was spiked. He was worried that the kid might actually kill him like his mother tried to do and what his grandmother would do if she ever saw his ugly face at the temple._

_"What are you going to do to us?" He asked already knowing the answer._

_"What does it look like old man? I can't let you do what you want in this mansion anymore. If I kill you now, then my mom will love me again."_

_"That's a bunch of-"_

_Trip looked up at the man he was hanging. He was running out of air fast but that was just fine by him._

_"Tell me, do you ever wonder why my mother hated scum like you?"_

_"T…a…ts…uh…"_

_The man couldn't speak. He was wheezing now and if Trip tightened the rope anymore, he would be dead. The man screeched as he felt a knife being jabbed into his back. The scream woke up some of Bane's friends as they realized in horror the situation they were put in._

_"She hates people like you because she hates people ganging up on the weak…even though she too hates the weak."_

_"Argh…uh…"_

_Trip had multiple knives at his disposal. Using two more knives, he stabbed the man in the back. The three knives formed an unusual triangle that left blood rushing out of the body. The man was as pale as a zombie but he was still breathing._

_"You don't die easily? Okay then…"_

_Trip didn't know what was going through his mind when he decided to hoist the rope up completely tightening around the man's neck making him suffocate. It went from simply kill them before they killed you to thinking that maybe if he killed them like the assassin she was, then she would come back for him. The recent idea was very farfetched though because she didn't care about him at all. However, taking the life of people that were taking advantage of him relieved him of the pain temporary, and before he lost that motive, he needed to get rid of them now._

_"Oh…he's dead." He said it so easily that it scared him a little on the inside. Turning to the man on the table who was awake now and struggling to break free from his binds, Trip went over to him. Near the table was a box of huge nails and a hammer. These items weren't as lethal as knives but Trip knew how to make them work._

_"Hey mister, let's play a game~" He began in a rather playful tone, closing his eyes when he said that. "If you win, I'll release you and everyone else…K?"_

_When he opened his eyes, the man couldn't help but scream. This man was boring him already if he was already in this panicked state. To be fair, the man saw Trip's gray eyes gleaming with a demonic look he had never seen before._

_"The theme is Umineko. Answer five questions at least to win. If you mess up seven times though, you are dead. This should be easy if you love mother so much~"_

_"Idiot! He won't get it!" Bane shouted at his nephew._

_"First question: Who is the main antagonist of Umineko?"_

_"What?"_

_"You have a minute to answer."_

_Trip started to twirl his hammer around while the man had no idea what the answer was._

_"Andrew, come on! It's not that hard!"_

_"Shut up old man." Trip interrupted directing his glare at him. "If you say the answer, he already loses. Now, answer the question."_

_"I-I don't know! Honestly!"_

_"Pathetic…"_

_Andrew screamed when Trip aligned one of the nails he had in his hands onto the man's legs and started hammering away. The photographer had strength that he like to hide so hammering through the bone did not take long at all. The man screeched in pain as he struggled to break free. The other men watching knew it was painful but could do nothing._

_"ARGGHHHHHHH!"_

_Trip sighed when he finished putting the nail to the point where the tip could be seen on the other side of the leg. He looked at Andrew and grinned._

_"The answer is Bernkastel, the cruelest witch in the world. Second question: Which character is my mom voice acting?"_

_This was an easy one and everyone knew this._

_"She…uh…plays Rosa Ushiromiya."_

_"Very good. See? You can play when you put your mind to it. Third question: Kinzo was already dead at the start of the game. True or false?"_

_"F…False….ARGHHH!"_

_Trip already started hammering his other leg with another nail from the toolbox. It was apparent that even if Andrew escaped this game alive, he wasn't going to get very far. Annoyed that another easy question was blown off, he hammered harder into the femur. He heard a crack somewhere along the third pound._

_"It was obviously true if you paid attention to arc 4. Fourth question: What was the name of the toy that Rosa gave Maria on her birthday?"_

_Andrew was already sweating buckets. He couldn't feel his legs anymore at this point of time because Trip hit a nerve that stopped the blood from circulating to that portion of the body. For his sanity, he needed to win._

_"Saku…taro…"_

_"Can't here you." Trip said in a mocking tone as he got a third nail out just to scare him._

_"IT'S SAKUTARO!"_

_Again, Trip smiled that this guy knew some things._

_"Good…fifth question: How many stakes are there that serve under Lady Beatrice."_

_"Seven…urgh…"_

_"That was probably the easiest one, but now it gets harder from here."_

_It was true; Trip gave all the easy ones out. If he got one more right, Andrew would win the game…but whenever Trip played this game with the girls (Paige and the twins), he always won in the end because they didn't know enough about the series._

_"For the sixth question, can you name the original names of the stakes in the original timeline?"_

_The wording of the question was weird but all Trip was asking was the names of the seven sins in the human world and not the magic world._

_"Wait…what?"_

_"…Waiting…"_

_In the end, he ended up giving the names of the sins in the magic world. Trip instantly took the third nail and hammered on the carpal of the left hand causing the man to scream in agony again._

_"You're stupid…I asked for their human names. They are Runon, Renon, Sanon, Benon, Manon, Berune, and Asune. These names are obtained by adding 音 at the end of their name. This also applies to Shannon and Kanon as well."_

_"How was he suppose to know that you brat?"_

_"If you guys really loved mother, you should know these questions about the series she has dedicated her role to. Seventh question: What is Yasu's gender and why?"_

_"I don't even know…who Yasu…is…urgh…ARGGHHHH!"_

_His right hand was now easily destroyed with the nail that went through his carpals._

_"If you just said I don't know, that would have been the correct answer. Yasu is ambiguous at best, but I personally think Yasu is a man based on Kinzo's personality and how when Natsuhi asked the servant to throw the poor child off the cliff, the child talked about how it lost an important portion on their body. You'll lose that section they lost if you don't get this question right."_

_"But…urgh…it hurts…"_

_"Question eight, How many people are on Rokkenjima?"_

_"Seventeen!" He answered quickly and that would be the biggest mistake of his life._

_Trip should have felt sorry for the guy when he started nailing the ball sack. Now his friends were turning away not wanting to understand the pain that Trip was putting him through. His mom would be proud of him that there would be one less guy that couldn't have babies anymore._

_"I pity the fool who thinks that."_

_"But there are seventeen people you brat!" Bane shouted as he was intending to punch the living shit out of his nephew._

_"Old man…how many pieces are on a chessboard?"_

_"…Thirty-two."_

_"And how many pieces do the players get?"_

_"Sixteen…!"_

_"Which leads to the ninth question: If there are sixteen people on the island, who is the person that does not belong?"_

_Andrew couldn't talk anymore. Foam was forming from his mouth as he was trying his best to move. His family jewels were destroyed…there was nothing left to live for. Trip gave him a full minute to answer but he knew this man wouldn't be able to talk anymore. Trip moved to the man's stomach as he started hammering that section. Blood was gushing all over the place now, but the young trainer didn't care. This man was so close to winning but he was throwing his life away now._

_"The answer…is Kanon. Final question: Who is the killer?"_

_If the man stayed calm the entire time, he could have gotten where the questions were going starting from the fifth question they all became connected. The man tried to move his hand but he couldn't. The game was over. Trip moved the final nail to the man's face and hammered it into the middle. There was no way he could survive this._

_"It is inferred that the killer is Shannon." Trip answered himself. "If you put the information together starting from the fifth arc and then realizing in the seventh arc that by using the Shkannon, you can solve the four main arcs along with the fifth arc as well as giving you a major hint on how the sixth arc could play out, you have won the game against the author."_

_Andrew would not hear the explanation. He was deader than dead with all the nails imbued into his body. This is probably what Shion would have done to Keiichi if she didn't spare him in the underground torture chamber. He could see where she got the thrill from…however…_

_"YOU MONSTER!" Bane screamed at the top of his lungs. "NO WONDER YOUR MOTHER WON'T ACCEPT YOU AS HER SON! YOU'RE A COLD BLOODED KILLER THAT WANTS TO RUIN THE LIVES OF EVERYONE AROUND YOU! SHE WON'T FORGIVE YOU…EVER!"_

_His uncle's words hurt, but he ended up snapping out of his bloody trance. When he did, he looked down at the body he just ruined and gasped softly to himself. Slowly, he got off the body and slowly backed away._

_"What…have I done…"_

* * *

Trip was thrown back into the present time when his uncle punched him in the face. He remembered staring at the skull for a while and getting lost in thought. He couldn't hide it anymore though. He killed three people and his uncle managed to propose a deal with him in order to get him out of the situation he threw himself in. All he had to do was find the key that opened that door and Bane and his friends would hide the bodies for him and let him off the hook for murder. That was the plan originally, but Trip forced those gruesome images to the back of his mind to prevent having a breakdown at the realization that he killed people. Bane didn't take this well and started to rush him. Now, he wanted that key, but Trip didn't have the key he needed, therefore, he planned on stealing Trip's Pokémon and shipping them to Orre where Cipher would do terrible things to them. He didn't want that at all.

"It looks like you finally know what you have done you monster." Bane mocked. "And now you're going to pay for what you have done."

Trip was put in the same situation he put Andrew in. He wondered if his uncle would nail needles into him like he did. Bane and his men had better ideas though.

"You know, I was thinking instead of punishing you, I would send Cipher members to kill your friends." Bane began with an evil grin. "No matter what I do to you, I don't think you will understand how much deep shit you're in unless I go after them…and I think the one with the Pikachu should die first."

"Not Ash!" Trip ended up shouting.

His friends all gave a nasty chuckle. Bane stared hard at his nephew before approaching him.

"There is hope though." He said as he lifted the young trainer's chin up. "If you don't want your precious Ash or your other friends harmed in any way, you'll do what I say, and I mean everything I say."

He started to tremble. There was no way out of this. He fucked himself over the minute he decided to let his uncle and the rest of his friends go. If only he just finished them off instead of regaining his conscious and having a mental breakdown for killing then…

"If I obey you…will Ash…his friends…and my Pokémon be spared?" He asked, his voice very shaky.

Bane smirked. "Of course, but that depends on how much you'll do for me, now will you."

Trip nearly yelped when he felt his uncle's other hand reaching underneath his shirt. Pulling away wasn't an option. If he was planning this then…

"…I'll do it…"

"Hmm?"

"I'll do it! Just leave everyone out of this you sick bastard!"

Two of Bane's friends could be heard high fiving in the background as the third was preparing his video camera for the main event that was going to happen tonight.

Bane smirked in triumph at Trip submitting to his will.

"Excellent, then we have a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 6154 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. I spoiled the series for everyone who hasn't watched Umineko but I warned you! If you put the information together from all eight arcs, it makes sense. Most of the information presented is in arc 7 where the detective Will basically solved the first four arcs being very vague as possible but if you pay attention to his wording, then it suddenly makes sense. He says stuff like "illusions to illusions" and "earth to earth" but he's basically saying this happened or this didn't happen. Of course, he was being very obvious about the whole Kanon thing when he was asked to describe Kanon's death. Every time, he kept saying ILLUSION and that's basically saying that Kanon didn't exist to begin with. That's very depressing though in retrospect since Kanon goes through so much shit in each arc that the treatment he gets is unfair. On the bright side, Kanon has the least gruesome death. Getting shot or stabbed in the stomach is nothing in comparison to Shannon who gets her head shot off or she's losing a head period.
> 
> 2\. This also leads to another thing concerning Shannon. Because Shannon and Kanon are the same person, it's very easy for them to pull off a switch like Shion and Mion in Higurashi. Shannon is the obvious killer despite what Bernkastel says in arc 7 that is entirely bullshit especially in the timeline with Lion as the main head. There is no way Kinzo would give the epitaph to solve when he treasures Lion as his child. Plus, Shannon and Kanon don't exist in this timeline so there's no way to supply the parents with guns to shoot each other with…and they don't know shit about the bomb on the island either…plenty of contradictions in the alternate universe.
> 
> 3\. When Trip is asking about the voice actor, I'm implying that if Maddalen were an actual character in Pokémon, Ami Koshimizu would voice her and that is the woman who voices Rosa in Umineko…and for those who don't know, I made Maddalen very similar to Rosa in terms of personality. Rosa is abusive to her only daughter Maria but she still loves her deep down despite the abuse. Whether or not this applies to Maddalen is another story but if Maddalen does her voice in this story…
> 
> 4\. Trip is very conflicted with killing people. I made him go a little over the edge like he was possessed. He would rather not kill people but at the same time, it's the easiest way to end the madness. Since his grandmother is an apparent assassin and her blood is in his veins, it would only be natural that he would find ways to kill in a colorful fashion. The reason he stopped killing after the third murder is simple. He realized how much shit he was in after killing two people in a playful matter since the first kill was in self-defense. You can see how his uncle was able to blackmail him into submission…but because Trip was so shocked, he basically blocked the murders out…but not everything is blocked out because he wasn't freaking out when he saw the bodies. If he freaked out, then it would be obvious that he was the killer…this is reverse psychology but in Umineko, this is needed to figure out the murderer. Finally, Trip is very capable of putting poison in food so it was right for Cilan to be paranoid about the food.
> 
> 5\. I made it pretty damn obvious that Lampent is probably one of Trip's more morally ambiguous Pokémon. His Lampent has no problem killing people but Trip's Gurdurr was disgusted despite the fact he helped. Then again, Litwick and its evolutions are technically evil Pokémon…and yet, a lot of my OCs have them. IRONY! 
> 
> 6\. Where does Team Rocket fit into this? Well…shortly after the deal was made, Team Rocket knocked on the door and asked Trip to stay and be sheltered from the rain and hide from the police. Since Trip at the beginning needed the key because he was in panic, he allowed them to work on the door. As the days went on, Trip forced himself to forget hence why he started not caring about the door as he did at the beginning and James being very suspicious about his attitude.


	12. Absolute Obedience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Complying with his uncle's wishes, Trip's mentality starts to crack. The question is will his mind completely break before Ash can save him? And apparently, the group forgot something at the mansion.

"Who does he think he is? I constantly try to help him but then he kicks me out and says "I can handle it!" He's just a kid! He's not going to be able to take care of himself!"

Est would not stop bitching the minute the group left the mansion. She kept complaining about how Trip treated them and forced them to leave. She kept insisting that was the stupidest thing he came up with. He was going to get seriously hurt because of it. At this point though, the group toned her out though. Cilan was still lost in thought about what his brothers told him and how he didn't grab some Shadow Pokémon. Bianca who was surprisingly quiet was thinking about what Blair was doing at the moment. Iris paid attention to the group overall. She was worried that there was something wrong with her friends due to either being too quiet or too serious or both. Ash was still thinking about Trip. He was probably the only person that was listening to Est but only on certain parts. He had faith in Trip that he would be okay, but there was something in the back of his mind telling him to go back now and protect the younger trainer.

"And seriously! Why does he think his Vanillite is going to save the day? I bet that's the weakest Pokémon in his party!"

"That's his vintage." Cilan corrected her. "If Vanillite is his most precious friend, it won't matter if Vanillite is the weakest Pokémon in his party. The powerful combination they blend will overcome it."

Bianca's frown turned upside down upon hearing Cilan analyzing Trip's Vanillite. "That's right!"

Est pouted that she wasn't getting the support from her but she shouldn't expect help from the girl that stole her Zorua and is squeezing him to death.

"..."

"! Hey is that...?"

The group looked up to what Bianca was pointing at. She quickly rushed toward the thing she saw with her arms wide open. At this point, Est's Zorua managed to break free from her grip and jump back toward his trainer.

"BLAIR!"

The brunette didn't expect to be tackled from behind. The both ended up toppling over as a result.

"Oh, it's Blair!" Ash exclaimed.

"Who?"

"He's a great Pokémon trainer that helped us out during the Nimbasa incident." Cilan explained.

"Oh..."

The little witch examined the older trainer. He looked rather plain in her book but maybe that was his charm, as Bianca seemed infatuated with him. Blair just sighed as he tried to push the ditzy blonde off of him.

"Bianca...it's only been a week at best..." Blair told her calmly as she continued to hug him.

"But it feels like forever! I missed you so much!" Bianca declared looking ready to cry. Despite knowing that those were only crocodile tears that were underneath her eyelids, the brunette couldn't help but blush. He noticed the little witch that had joined the party and slowly helped him and Bianca off the ground.

"And who's the little girl?" Blair asked. He wasn't trying to be rude at all but he rubbed Est the wrong way instantly.

"I AM NOT SHORT!" She shouted. Iris had to restrain her because she was the closest to her. "AND MY NAME IS EST! GOT IT MEMORIZED?"

Blair only chuckled at her response. "Oh, you're lively. If you're not a little girl then-"

"I'M TWENTY YEARS OLD DAMMIT! RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!"

And Iris instantly released her. Est did not attack Blair though. Everyone was just stunned at the revelation of her age.

"Are you seriously...twenty?" Ash had to ask again.

"Yes, so what?"

Iris started to giggle. "You're such a kid."

"What did you say?"

Blair continued to laugh at the scene before him before he remembered that he was traveling with someone else. "Michael, you can come out now. They're not going to hurt you."

The group turned to the newcomer that was hiding behind a nearby tree. Cilan instantly recognized the boy by his red hair and the gadget that was attached to his arm.

"If we're still introducing everyone, I would like you to meet Michael, my new traveling companion." He said with a warm smile.

"Hello..." He mumbled as he still hid behind the tree not trusting these people.

Blair didn't understand why he was so shy but decided to continue speaking. "He's a shy one. It's hard for him to get use to new people."

Ash was instantly interested in the redhead. "I'm Ash from Pallet Town!" He declared. "And these are my buddies Pikachu and Eevee."

"Pika!"

"Eevee~"

"I'm Iris, and this is Axew."

"Xew...Axew!"

"I'm Bianca! Nice to meet you!"

"And I'm Cilan, a Pokémon Connoisseur. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Michael had his eyes on the Eevee as he turned on his scouter. "It's a Shadow Pokémon!"

"!"

Michael looked ready to snag the Eevee off of Ash's shoulder but at this point Blair already stood in front of the Orre trainer.

"Don't snag Pokémon from my friends. They're good people and are aware of the situation too."

Blair was obviously talking out of his ass but with half the group being less than observant, they weren't going to notice.

"How does he know about Shadow Pokémon?" Iris asked.

"Well Iris...I'll just say that Michael is from the Orre region and their duty is to snag Shadow Pokémon from whoever has one."

"So they're stealing them?" Bianca questioned.

"Not necessary stealing." Blair told her. "The snagged Pokémon do not belong to the trainer using them until they are purified. Luckily for us, Michael here came all the way to Orre to reclaim more Shadow Pokémon that was smuggled out of Orre. The Eevee just happens to be one of them."

Ash glanced at Eevee who started to hiss at Michael. It would only be a matter of time before he entered reverse mode and started lashing out violently.

"Regardless, Shadow Pokémon can be purified here as well as Orre."

He approached Ash and Eevee slowly. Ash thought Eevee was going to bite him. To his surprise, when Blair went over to pet him, Eevee instantly calmed down and purred instead.

"Amazing!" Iris exclaimed.

"You're really good with Pokémon Blair." Bianca added.

"Nah, Eevee just knows that I won't hurt him."

He looked at Michael and then stared at Ash directly catching the Kanto trainer off guard.

"This Eevee likes you very much." He stated the obvious. "When we get to the Pokémon Center, I'll have Michael give you the Pokéball needed to snag it. I'll tell you how to do it there."

"Uh..."

"H-Hey Blair! Why are you letting him-?"

"This Pokémon wasn't on your list." He said simply and just ended the conversation like that.

Est was not impressed by his attitude. However, with her crappy battling skills, she wouldn't be able to do anything. Blair turned her attention to her and just smiled.

"You still upset that I called you little?" Blair asked nicely.

"Hell yeah! I am not short!"

He continued to smile. "I'll apologize after we have a triple battle."

"A what?"

"A triple battle Ash is when you send out three Pokémon to battle." Cilan explained. "The winner is determined when all three Pokémon on one person's side is knocked out."

"You didn't even know that Ash? Oh Ash, why are you such a kid?"

"Hey, for your information, I haven't lived in Unova all of my life!" Ash spat back as he glared daggers at her and then turned to Blair and Est.

Est didn't like the idea at all. She knew she would lose but this was her chance to prove herself.

 _ **You can do it Est.**_ Her Zorua encouraged her. **_I'll back you up._**

"...Thank you." She thanked before she turned to star at Blair confidently. "I accept your challenge."

* * *

Trip wanted to turn back at this point. Forget everything here and just run far away and never return. That wasn't going to happen though. If he fled now, he would never see his Pokémon that he worked so hard to train ever again, and knowing they wouldn't be the same again, Trip knew it would be his fault if he bailed now.

But this was illegal! He was only ten years old yet his uncle is forcing him to wear these disgusting clothes…for women to add insult. He was slowly walking to the top floor with a black thong on that was covered only with a latex miniskirt. He had to walk up the stairs with these black stockings as well. No matter what though, Trip refused to wear the bondage top with it and decided to just go with his normal top that could easily be ripped off. His heart was beating so fast when he reached the door where those men were.

 _I should have killed them when I had the chance…_ Trip murmured to himself as he slowly grabbed a hold of the doorknob and then froze. He really didn't want to do this. If only he had a backup plan, then maybe he could finish them all off; however, his dad would find out…and then he would be screwed.

Slowly, he opened the door. His uncle and the three men were waiting. One even had a video camera in hand to record this disgusting display.

His friends took a good look at the younger trainer and they all smiled evilly. They were getting a good look at the lower portion of Trip's body that he was desperately trying to cover up with his hands.

"Why didn't you wear the top you stupid brat?"

Trip flinched at his voice. He started to back off, "I-I won't wear it! That thing is too black!"

He shouldn't be rebelling when his uncle had all the cards in his hands. His uncle was about to yell at him but his friends beat him too it.

"Come on Bane! This is a good thing we'll never get again! Look! He looks so much like his mother with or without that corset."

"Yes, I know." He said examining his brother's son from head to toe without thinking of the consequences. "I guess this will do. I hope you have the camera ready because we're about begin."

Trip shrieked when his arm was suddenly seized and tugged on with such force. He was thrown to the floor when his uncles' friends, closed the door on him. There was no escape now. He just had to get through this.

"I will start." He heard Bane say to his friends. "If you fight back, I will kill your Pokémon starting with that stupid ice cream cone!"

"Please don't…" Trip began in a begging tone. "Please…leave them out of this…"

"All you have to do is do what we say and we'll leave your Pokémon alone. You hear me?"

"…Yes…"

"And also, you will find that key when we're through with this. Otherwise I will ship your Pokémon to Orre."

He was already shaking and the torture hasn't even begun yet. He was in a lose-lose situation. If only Ash was here to save him.

 _Why am I relying on him?_ Trip asked himself. _There's no way he would save me…_

He already felt the tears welling up when he nodded his head again to the agreement. Bane smiled in triumph as he grabbed the photographer's shirt and ripped it off like a beast hungry for its meal.

"Then let's start."

Trip instantly yelped when he felt his uncle bite down on his neck. It wasn't like a Pokémon where when they bite, it stung but it didn't hurt as much. This bite sent shivers down his spines. He flinched when he felt his uncle draw blood from where he bit him similar to a vampire.

"I wonder if your mom would have reacted the same way." Bane whispered as he licked the blood that was on his lips. "Now it's time."

Trip shut his eyes tightly when he felt his uncle instantly go in for the kill and go underneath the skirt. He bit his tongue trying to hold back his moans from his uncle rubbing his crotch. This type of hand gesture was so foreign to him that his body didn't act accordingly. He didn't want his uncle to get any reaction at all but his legs were already shivering. The blood was already pumping straight to that area making it seem like it was on fire.

"What, you're already turned on? How pitiful!"

"You know what they say Bane. Like mother like son."

"…I think you mean to say like mother like daughter…"

"Yeah…but we're not fucking a girl, are we?"

That would have been funny if they weren't dead serious. To these men, it didn't matter if they screwed a little girl or a little boy, this was the child of the woman they wanted to fuck, but since she was out of their reach, they would settle for her child no matter what age.

Trip wanted to curse them out but he ended up gasping when his uncle ripped the skirt off of him. It wasn't just the skirt that he tore off with his bare hands though; he also ripped off whatever undergarments the young trainer was wearing. Anything that could cover his lower region was gone and exposed to the camera of evil.

"No…" He couldn't help but cry out as he weakly tried to cover himself. Bane's followers wouldn't allow that though as two of them seized both of Trip's arms and held them above him that prevented him from doing anything.

"I wish this was Maddalen we were humiliating," Bane repeated, "but you'll have to do. If you want to blame anyone for this, you'll only have yourself to blame."

Trip yelped when he felt his uncle's cold hands lift his legs up so he could stick a finger up his ass. He cried in pain as the insertion was forced. He struggled without realizing and tried to kick his uncle in the face. Bane was getting annoyed.

"Slap this bitch for me will you? He's annoying!"

Trip felt his cheek being hit by a powerful hand. If he were to look in the mirror, one could see that his cheek was bright red. The pain of being slapped reminded him of when his mother slapped him for asking to be a Pokémon trainer. That was not a good portion of his life…

Falling back to reality though, Trip ended up yelping again when he felt another finger inserted into the hole followed by a third. He was still young so one finger should have been the limit. His uncle was willing to treat him like an adult though by trying to insert as many fingers as possible. His uncle probably didn't know that a kid's hole has a limit to how much it could be stretched.

"Hey Bane, can we tear the rest of his shirt off?"

"Do what you want."

The two men grinned evilly too each other as one of them let go of Trip's hand only to have it seized by the other. The one that let go had no qualm slashing his shirt off with his rather long nails.

Trip felt his world becoming a blur when he was exposed. He had no way to escape this hell and he was letting himself be broken.

_Ash…please help me…_

The men ended up flipping him over after Bane took his fingers out. They positioned the young photographer in the doggy position, as his uncle was ready to insert his nasty cock inside of him.

"Come on you brat! You can stay in this position! Your body isn't that weak!" Bane shouted as he smacked Trip's ass causing him to fall down from the impact. "If you don't get in the position now, I'm going to-"

Trip slowly got into the position his uncle wanted him in before he finished his sentence.

"Please…hurry up…" He ended up mumbling.

His uncle's friends just laughed at this display. Trip just wanted to get this over with, but they saw it as him wanting to have sex with older men. One of them grabbed Trip by the hair and got his cock ready.

"You better be ready for this kid~" He said in a perverted tone.

Trip closed his eyes. He didn't want to see what he was going to do next. Bane was expecting this though and thrusted inside his hole without warning.

"Ahhhhh!"

These men were expecting a scream like this though. Bane didn't stop with just one hard thrust though. He did quick, hard thrusts that made Trip feel like he was being split apart from the inside.

"No! Ahhhhhh!"

The men were debating whether or not to stick their penis in the young boy's mouth but decided to do so because the young trainer was turning them on with his cries.

"While you're getting fucked like a whore, why don't you suck my dick?" One of the guys suggested as he forced his penis down Trip's throat and began thrusting.

Trip didn't even have time to react. The pain going through his body was unimaginable. He couldn't breathe at all with the dick in his mouth and it was disgusting. He wanted nothing more but to bite down hard but if he did that then his Pokémon were at risk of getting hurt. He had to grin and bare it but the pain was unbearable at this point.

"Guhh…"

"Is there room for one more Bane?"

"No. If it was Maddalen…yes…but this kid is too small…but so tight."

Bane hit the sweet spot causing the young trainer's back to arch up slightly causing the other man's dick to slide deeper down Trip's throat.

"What's this? I already hit his sweet spot?" He mocked as he kept going.

"Are you almost done? I'm horny!" Complained the cameraman.

The two men were reaching their climax soon.

_Please hurry up…please hurry up…please hurry up…please hurry up…_

"I'm cumming!"

"Me too!"

The two men ending up cumming inside of the boy; however, there was so much of the sticky fluid by the time they forced their dicks out, they ended up spraying the rest of the substance all over his body. They let him go after that causing the young trainer to fall flat on the floor panting heavily.

"How was it?" The cameraman asked them.

Bane frowned. "If this brat was Maddalen, I would be satisfied with one round…but I'm not."

Trip's eyes widened in horror as his uncle seized his arm.

"Don't think you're done yet. We're going to keep going until we're satisfied. If you complain even once, we'll kill your Pokémon."

"No…"

As the other three men began to switch positions on who would be the next one to be satisfied, Trip could only imagine pain that would befall him the rest of the night.

_There…really is no hope for me…is there?_

While the three men were arguing though, Bane already positioned himself below the dirty blonde as he forced his dick into his hole. At this point, it was bleeding from the abuse and forcing Trip to move his hips downward only made it worse. The photographer started letting out small moans with each thrust. He wasn't enjoying it at all but his body was rejecting what he thought.

"Such a slut enjoying something like this." Bane told him harshly as he hit his spot again. "You only have yourself to blame for that though."

"No…I'm…ahhhh…"

His uncle already came again rather quickly. His friends wanted to give the young trainer a ride on their cock. Bane moved slowly because he wanted to observe the face that his victim had. He grinned evilly upon seeing the tears flow.

"Remember Trip." He began calling him by his name. "This is happening to you because you deserve it, and nothing will change that."

"…"

"Do you understand my boy?"

"…"

"No one will get you out of this mess. Not your mother, not the police and certainly not those freeloaders that messed up this place. A red string binds you and me. If one of us is caught, the other will get dragged down with him. So you better be a good boy and do exactly as I say from now on. Do you understand me?"

Bane looked directly into Trip's eyes. They lost their gray color a long time ago but the speech might have made it obvious. He wasn't struggling with him or his friends anymore. He was just going to take the pain in stride.

"Yes…I understand…"

"Good."

He leaned over to kiss him. This was the last thing he needed to do to defile the kid. No one would want him now and Trip would hate himself for letting something like this happen.

 _It doesn't matter anymore…_ Trip told himself as he didn't fight the kiss that was forced upon him. _I'm nothing to the world…_

_I'm…_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Worthless…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 4639 words. Notes…
> 
> 1\. Blair still has some knowledge of Shadow Pokémon without Michael having to explain more to him hence why he's able to go into more detail than expected, and of course, because Cilan is part of the Shadow Triad, he would recognize Michael due to the fact that Michael is well known in the Orre region for stopping Cipher for the most part and Cipher and Team Plasma are not on good terms as hinted in Cilan's flashback as a kid.
> 
> 2\. Again, back to Blair's personality. As Ash represents the player that would have fun with Pokémon that were his favorite, Paul represents the player that only uses strong ones and trashes the rest, Barry represents the player that has no fucking idea what he's doing, Tobias represents the player that cheats, Trip represents the player that speed runs through the game and we have Blair who is basically the player similar to Ash that loves his Pokémon dear and treats them like family...to the point of obsession if they would lose that important one. Also, remember in the game in Pokemon Black and White, Blair/Whitlea would constantly be called a good trainer that loves their Pokémon dearly even if you abuse them? That's what Blair is in the story. Because I'm implying that he might as well be the legendary hero to summon Zekrom and not Ash, he easily gets along with Eevee despite being a Shadow Pokémon. Also, he's basically telling Michael to shut up about the list because he doesn't want Bianca to worry. Then again, Cilan is in front of them and if Cilan learns about the list, then he could tell his brothers instead of doing his mission.
> 
> 3\. Trip's freak out at the end will make sense in a few more chapters. He instantly accepts defeat mainly because he doesn't want his friends or Pokémon hurt but there's something else that's making him submissive...and that will be brought up a few chapters later...


	13. The Magician's Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against Blair and Est begins and the group realizes that Blair is on a whole different level.

Est and Blair took their positions on the battlefield that was basically just the clearing they were in. Cilan had no choice but to be the referee again for this battle and he admit to himself that he was getting sick of it.

"The battle between Blair and Est will now begin! Each trainer can only use three Pokémon. The winner is determined by whoever defeats the three Pokémon on the opposite side. Are both trainers ready?"

"Ready." Blair told him calmly.

"I've been born ready!" Est exclaimed as she adjusted her witch hat.

"Good, now begin!"

Est decided to summon her Pokémon first. "Go Zorua!"

Her Zorua nodded his head as he jumped off her shoulder. She threw two more Pokéballs as he stepped onto the battlefield. "Go Purrloin and Litwick!"

She sent out her candle Pokémon and an adorable cat Pokémon. Instantly, Cilan flinched at her choices.

"Why do you have to choose Pokémon I don't like?" He shouted as he was going to hide behind Iris or Ash at this rate. Iris just grinned at how the green haired gym leader started to act like the Cilan she knew.

Blair sighed as he had an epiphany.

"Don't you have stronger Pokémon?" He asked her as he got out three Pokéballs from his pocket. "I'm not trying to sound rude or arrogant, but I'm pretty sure you have stronger Pokémon than that Ms. Est."

"Shut up! I can take you on with just these babies!" The little witch declared.

"So you do have strong Pokémon you rather not bring out. All right, have it your way. Blair turned his cap around similar to how Ash did it as he threw two Pokéballs. "Go Reim and Lotti!"

Blair sent out his Samurott and another Pokémon known as Meganium. Bianca instantly took out her Pokédex and pointed it at the grass Pokémon.

**_Meganium, the herb Pokémon and the final form of Chikorita. Its breath has the fantastic ability to revive dead plants and flowers. The aroma that rises from its petals contains a substance that calms aggressive feelings._ **

"I see that Pokémon originated in Johto." Cilan said. "How did Blair get it Bianca?"

"...I think he took a vacation to another region," Bianca answered, "either that or he traded with someone else, but of course, knowing Blair, he probably missed the Pokémon League getting powerful Pokémon."

Blair instantly turned away ashamed.

"Bianca...I rather not talk about that..."

"But you, Whitlea and Cheren missed the Pokémon League because you were too busy in Black City, right?"

"..."

"Hey! Bring out your third Pokémon!" Est shouted interrupting their conversation.

"Don't rush me." He told her calmly. "Should I use Alice to solo the whole thing or should I use Oz to go all out. I think I'll have to use Gilbert. Alright, Gilbert...I choose..."

He didn't' get to finish because a Pokémon came out of its Pokéball all by itself. It was a blue monkey with dreadlocks and had its eyes closed. However, over its right eye, it had a bandage similar to an eye patch on it.

"Break...why..."

"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked as he got his Pokédex out.

"It's a Simipour." Cilan told him.

"A what?"

**_Simipour, the geyser Pokémon and the evolved form of Panpour. The tuft on its head holds water. When the level runs low, it replenishes the tuft by siphoning up water with its tail. The high-pressure water expelled from its tail is so powerful; it can destroy a concrete wall._ **

"What's wrong with it?" Iris wondered out loud pointing to the Eye patch that was on its right eye.

Blair wasn't pleased as he was going to return the water monkey to his Pokéball. "Come back Break, I don't want you fighting with this handicap."

"Pour!" It exclaimed as it shook its head defiantly.

"Break?"

His Simipour jumped into the battle in between Reim and Lotti looking ready to fight. Blair knew his Pokémon wanted to fight and there was no stopping it.

"...Alright...but only for five minutes."

"Ending a battle in five minutes? Aren't you cocky?"

"No, I'm just worried about Break's condition..."

"Whatever, I'm going to start first! Zorua, you and Litwick use shadow ball on Meganium. Purrloin, use fake out on Samurott!"

The cat Pokémon was quick on its feet. Purrloin easily attacked Samurott to the point that it would not be able to move at the start of the battle. Zorua and Litwick combined their shadow balls into one and hit Meganium head on.

"...Lotti, you okay?"

"Megan!"

"Good, then I guess we should be on the offensive. Lotti, use magical leaf! Reim, use aqua jet and Break use hone claws followed by fury swipes!"

As Simipour prepared his attack by sharpening his claws, Lotti let out a pile of colorful leaves at Purrloin while Samurott charged Litwick on with aqua jet.

"Dodge it!" Est ordered.

Purrloin was fast enough to move out of the way but Blair's Samurott was too fast for her Litwick. It only took one hit to knock Litwick out.

"Litwick!"

"What a powerful attack!" Cilan exclaimed.

"Blair's on a different level than most trainers." Bianca told the grass gym leader and his friends. "He and Whitlea are the best..."

Ash kept his eyes on the battle and noticed that while Est was panicking with her Litwick knocked out, Break didn't give her a break as the water monkey attacked Purrloin with multiple barrages of fury swipes. Purrloin wasn't expecting an attack and was taken out with three swipes.

"! Purrloin!"

Blair just sighed as she rushed to return her to unconscious Pokémon.

"You know...if you suck this much at battling you should have told me. I would have gone easy on you."

"I don't need your pity!" Est shouted as she stared at her Zorua. The determination in Zorua's trainer's eyes was gone. It was replaced by fear and panic.

_**Calm down Est, you need to focus!** _

"But I can't do it! I-"

"Water gun Reim."

Despite being in the middle of a freak out, Blair continued to attack her. Her Zorua saw it coming and jumped out of the way.

**_Est, you have to keep going!_ **

"I can't do it dammit! I may know a lot about Pokémon but I can't battle!"

"...I feel sorry for your Pokémon." Blair began, "your Pokémon has potential but when you're already backed into a corner like this, you want to give up? That's pathetic..."

"!"

"...Isn't that a bit too harsh?"

"I think someone like her...needs this information..." Michael replied quietly to Ash. "She doesn't seem like a good battler in the first place…"

"…"

"If you're not going to attack, I'm not going to stop attacking. Break use scald! Reim, use ice beam! Lotti, attack with solar beam!"

Blair was serious when he said he wasn't going to go easy on her. His Pokémon unleashed powerful attacks at the Zorua. The group could only watch in horror, as it seemed that Zorua wouldn't be able to dodge it.

"Zorua, double team!" Est suddenly ordered.

Her Zorua smirked as it made copies of himself. The attacks ended up hitting all the clones as a result but not the real one.

"…Hmm…you got lucky…"

Est wasn't done though. "Zorua…do you think we can do this?" She seemed to be ignoring Blair in favor of her Pokémon.

**_Of course! I'll back you up no matter what._ **

She stared at her shiny Pokémon before she nodded her head in agreement. Blair wasn't surprised that she regained her confidence as easily as she lost it.

"Alright! I'm going to win! Zorua shadow ball!" She ordered.

She didn't tell Zorua whom to aim at but apparently, he knew who she wanted to target. A dark energy ball formed in his mouth as he shot it at Break. It was a direct hit and Break was sent backwards.

"Oh, you want to play hardball now?" Blair questioned with an amused look. "Break, it's one on one from here."

"Pour!"

"Aqua tail!" He ordered as his Simipour quickly recovered. His tail started glowing a radiant blue as it tried to attack Zorua.

"Agility!"

Zorua dodged it quickly. Break wasn't done and swung his tail a few more times in retaliation. Zorua managed to dodge them though.

 _Zorua has gotten faster._ Blair thought as he was getting more pumped now. "Don't let up Break! Brick break!"

Now the water monkey's hand began to glow. It tried to chop Zorua but he was too fast for him with constant uses of agility.

"Foul play!"

After dodging more attacks, Zorua tackled Simipour head on. The attack seems to have a weird effect on the water monkey, as he was dazed.

"Foul play…what does that do?" Ash questioned.

"It's a dark move that turns the power of the opponent's attack against it." Cilan explained. "Since Blair told his Simipour to use hone claws, the attack is incorporated into the attack and does more damage."

"Oh, Blair might be in trouble!" Bianca exclaimed.

A smile escaped the little witch's lips. She might be able to win after all. "Okay, Zorua now that we got Simipour where we want him, finish him off with night daze!"

"Break, don't let them use it. Get them with hydro pump!"

As Break quickly shot out a powerful blast of water from his mouth, Zorua's eyes glowed a bright red and became surrounded by a light blue aura. A force field surrounded Zorua as it unleashed a powerful wave at Simipour. The hydro pump was cancelled and it hit Break directly sending him flying into a nearby tree.

"! Break!"

Est pumped her fist up realizing that she finally knocked out a Pokémon. "Yes, we did it!"

 ** _I told you that you could do it!_ ** Zorua praised as he chuckled like all Zorua do.

Blair ran over to his Pokémon and frowned. That frown turned into a smile though shortly after. "You did a good job Break. You deserve a rest…and sorry for having you fight for more than five minutes."

"Pour…"

He called back his Pokémon as he turned to Est with a confident grin. "Your Zorua isn't that bad."

"Of course! He's my best Pokémon!" She declared. "Next to another one of course."

"Eh, she's not so bad after all." Iris commented.

"Xew…Axew!"

"But she still has to knock out two more Pokémon." Cilan added. "This won't be an easy fight."

"The battle is already decided." Michael said simply as he looked at Blair's expression. He was ready to kick ass.

"Alright, Reim, Lotti, time to avenge Break!" He declared.

"I'm going to keep attacking!" Est shouted. "Shadow ball on Meganium!"

That was her next target but Blair predicted this.

"Reim, use water pledge. Lotti, use grass pledge!"

Cilan nearly gasped when Blair called out those moves. Est was finished no matter what she did. The grass dinosaur shook the leaves on its body as Samurott howled. When they did, a combination of leaves and water columns struck out of the ground catching Zorua off ground as the columns hit him directly.

"Zorua!"

"What's that?" Ash asked still confused with all of these new moves being used.

"Grass pledge, fire pledge and water pledge. They are three of the hardest moves to learn." Cilan elucidated. "They can only be taught to starter Pokémon that have perfect trust with their trainer."

"You make it seem like that's difficult…" Iris muttered.

"It is because only those starter Pokémon can learn them. How these moves are used however depend on the trainer. In a single battle, they don't do much but in a double or triple battle, they become deadly."

"Really? How so?" Bianca asked.

"Take the Pokémon Blair used for an example. His Samurott can use water pledge and his Meganium can use grass pledge. When they combine together, they create a deadly combo that we are witnessing now. The same goes with combining grass pledge with fire pledge or fire pledge with water pledge."

"So what happens if you combine all three of them?" Ash continued to question.

"I don't want to know…"

The group turned their attention back to the battle. Zorua took a critical hit from the move and his speed decreased drastically. The move actually caused a mini swamp to be formed on Est's side of the battlefield.

"W-What is this?"

"When these two moves are combined little Est," Blair began adding "little" to just piss her off, "a swamp is created reducing the speed of all Pokémon on the opposite side of the field. Double Team and Agility won't work now."

"Oh no…"

"We got this in the bag. Reim, use hydro cannon! Lotti, use frenzy plant."

There was a saying that there was no kill like overkill and Blair took that to heart. There was no need for him to use two of the most powerful special attacks designated to that element, but here he was ordering Samurott to blast the weaken Zorua with hydro cannon and for Meganium to follow up with tree roots. The attack was so powerful that the attack sent Zorua flying right into his trainer. Est caught him but was also hit by the hydro cannon and ended up slamming into a nearby tree.

"! Oh shit…" He cursed realizing he went too far.

"Est!"

It was obvious that Blair was the victor but he went too far. He called back his Meganium instantly but he rushed over to Est with his Samurott. Ash and the group also rushed to her aid.

"Est, are you okay?" Ash asked as he tried to help her up but Cilan told her not to as whatever injury she had could make things worse.

"My back…" She muttered darkly. "That attack was worse than being thrown onto a table…"

Blair sweat dropped as he scratched the back of his head before turning his cap back to its rightful position, "My bad…I got carried away…"

"Obviously…" Bianca said as she puffed her cheeks slightly. "If you did that to me, I wouldn't forgive you!"

It was a blunt statement that made Blair turn away ashamed. "Sorry…"

Cilan and Iris helped the little witch up but she was still frowning. "Zorua, are you okay?"

**_Yeah…I think so…_ **

"…You were great. I'll return you to your Pokéball now to rest."

She quickly recalled her Zorua as Blair did the same for his Samurott, as Est probably didn't want to see his face.

"There's a Pokémon Center just a few blocks away." Blair tried to change the subject before they forced him to apologize more. "I-If you can't walk, I'll take you there."

"Where is the Pokémon Center exactly?"

"It's basically the final stop before the drawbridge. Trainers are staying there now because of the unfortunate circumstance."

Est continued to glare at him as she crossed her arms. "Fine then, carry me."

"…What?"

"You attacked a girl and you injured her. You carry me all the way. I'm not heavy!"

Cilan just chuckled at the demand. "That is a suitable punishment for you if I don't say so myself."

Bianca's expression was unreadable. Michael noticed how she was directing this look at Blair who did not look her in the eye as he complied with the wish.

"Alright little witch, hop on my back."

"I AM NOT SMALL! CALL ME THAT AGAIN AND I'LL BREAK YOUR BACK!"

Blair didn't like that idea of having to walk like an old man with a cane so he decided to keep his mouth shut about her height. With nowhere else to go, the group decided that it was best if they all traveled to the Pokémon Center together.

The Pokémon Center was an hour walk but so much was said between that time.

* * *

Ash wanted to know more about Blair, a trainer that was so powerful that he was on the edge of his seat the entire time. With Bianca's help, he was able to get a lot out of the calm trainer.

Blair started his Pokémon journey a year prior. He and his two other friend Whitlea (or White) and Cheren started their quest by the request of Professor Juniper to help complete the Pokédex. He explained how Whitlea and Cheren were fighting over Snivy while Oshawott was left alone. In his own words, Blair chose Oshawott as his starter because Oshawott was the same color of his jacket. Cilan just commented on how the first Pokémon a trainer gets tends to form a strong bond right there and that it was an excuse from what he really meant to say. There was no need to question his real reason for picking Oshawott though. One could tell he loved his Pokémon the minute he chose him.

"You and your Samurott are the perfect pair." Cilan would say. "It's equal to Ash and Pikachu."

That was probably a huge compliment on Ash's side. Blair could tell that Ash and Pikachu have been traveling for a while. He was surprised that Ash has been traveling the regions for at least five years and how he has met many people and their Pokémon. Blair didn't think he could compare to Ash.

"So basically, in the Kanto region, you can start as early as ten…" Blair basically deducted from their conversation.

"Yeah, why?"

"In Unova, you start as early as sixteen and spend the time before that in school learning about all types of Pokémon and learning how to take care of yourself."

"I wanted to go with you guys last year!" Bianca declared. "But my dad wouldn't let me!"

"And there was the fact that there were no more Pokémon for you to start with." Blair added in a playful tone. "You had to wait until next year to get your Tepig."

"It sucked! I'm like a year behind you guys and you have how many badges?"

Blair looked away as he searched for his pocket for the badge case. The group stopped to look how many badges he had. When Ash saw the badges though, he had a flashback of Gary showing of his badges.

"You got nine badges?" The group asked.

"Yeah…" Blair said as he blushed. "I originally had eight badges but I challenged another gym recently…I can't lose to Whitlea…who has…ten…or more…"

Bianca fell into a slump instantly. "Nooooooooo…I'll never catch up to you guys…"

Ash's eyebrow twitched as he saw all the badges. Blair had four of the same badges that Ash had plus five more. The one that was unfamiliar to Cilan was one of a huge clock. If you tilted the badge, the hands on the clock looked like it was moving forward in time.

"The other five are in the next cities." Blair explained, "There's the quake badge, the jet badge, the freeze badge and the legend badge. Oh…and that one that I just got, the clock tower badge, was from Lacunosa town…you know…the temple at the top that everybody avoids because of the scary old lady there? I just beat her…and I'm scared of going back…"

"Who was the name of that gym leader?" Ash questioned.

"Not really a gym leader but her name was Rhia Mephisto. Why?"

And Est instantly jabbed Blair in the neck causing him to shriek in pain.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"W-Why didn't you tell me you defeated the head of the temple?"

"W-Why…is that a problem…"

Est frowned. "I'm sorry…"

"!"

"Anyone who beats that old hag has my respect…maybe that's why she's letting Ilyana travel around Unova…"

"Well, she was the hardest person I have ever fought…beside Drayden…"

At the mention of her mentor, Iris stopped chatting immediately. She wasn't ready to tell her friends that she was the apprentice gym leader. Then again, Cilan knew who she was and so did the other gym leaders that saw her. She was known as the little girl that tagged along the final dragon master. Perhaps Blair knew who she was too because she didn't start her journey right away and remembered watching someone like Blair having an epic battle with the man she could not beat.

"Why haven't you challenged the Unova League?" Michael asked.

The group continued walking as Blair was trying to find the right thing to say.

"It's hard to explain. Whitlea's excuse would be that she was too busy in Black City to realize that she missed the league. Cheren's excuse was he was training to become stronger and also forgot. My excuse…" He turned his head to Bianca who got his eye, "is because I wanted to wait for someone dear to me to enter the league with the rest of us. Then I can tell her, "You made it this far, now shoot for the stars" or something like that."

Bianca turned away flustered as she adjusted her hat nervously at the declaration he made. He reassured her that he would wait for her to get enough badges so he could face her in the Unova League. Too bad what he said went over everyone's head including Cilan who should have caught on to who he was referring to, but his mind lingered to his speech about encouraging the person he liked to soar higher.

"Whoever is the girl you like is so lucky to have someone as you~" Iris teased.

Blair just chuckled nervously at the statement. "Y-Yeah…maybe…"

Bianca's flushed face almost faded instantly when she remembered why Blair had been distant lately. "Blair…are you still going to chase after him…?"

Instantly, the happy demeanor the brunette had was gone. Est could feel a sorrowful aura around the boy that was carrying her now. Everyone else noticed that his cheerfulness was gone too.

"I have to Bianca…I need to find out if he's capable of pulling off that catastrophe…or if it's that man that is pulling the strings."

The group was silent again until they made it to the Pokémon Center. There, Blair basically let Est walk on her own because he was tired of carrying her at that point. Despite being injured, Est rushed to Nurse Joy and begged her to heal her Pokémon. Nurse Joy went to work right away with her Audino. Noticing that Est was injured as well, she forced Est to come with her into the room where they treated the trainers. Ash and the group also let Nurse Joy have their Pokémon as well.

As the group waited in the waiting room, the conversation continued.

"So Ash, you're from Pallet Town, right?"

"Yeah why?"

He grinned. "That's where Professor Oak is from. I would love to meet him and his grandson. I heard that his grandson is following in his footsteps. I wonder how that's going to turn out."

Ash closed his eyes and thought of Gary. It's been at least three years since Gary gave up becoming a Pokémon trainer and decided to become a Pokémon researcher. He was successful so far but looking back on it, Ash thought that he should have asked him to travel with the raven-haired teen for a few more years before making that lifetime decision. Ash felt it was too soon and he had to admit that when Gary surrendered the position as his main rival, Ash kind of felt lost after that. There was Paul but Paul didn't even acknowledge him and Ash had to realize that when their battle was over that not everyone could be won over by battling. There was Trip who was his new main rival now but Ash felt that he and Trip were not on the same level. He would never say that out loud but he knew that if Ash used all the Pokémon he left back at home, he wouldn't be losing as often. Regardless, Ash didn't see Trip as a rival. He saw him as a friend…but a voice in the back of his head was telling him that he wanted Trip to be more than that. These voices scared him because he had them before concerning Misty and Gary at times but it wasn't as loud and aggressive as it was now.

"You know what," Iris began, "when we're done traveling the Unova region, we should all go to Kanto just to have a taste of Ash's world."

Blair grinned. "I would love that. Right Bianca?"

"Of course!"

Cilan didn't expect her to come up with that. He was worried that he would be dead before that happened.

Ash gave an evil look at Iris. "When we go to Kanto, then you will be the kid."

"What? You picking a fight?"

The two would have started fighting if Iris didn't have this sensation that made her look the opposite direction and point at someone she didn't want to see.

"GEORGIA!"

That caught her rival's attention almost instantly. "Oh crap…it's the stinky dragon trainer!"

Almost instantly, Ash wasn't there anymore as Iris and Georgia started to insult each other the minute they caught each other's eyes. Ash recalled a show that Gary and him watched in Pallet Town about a man that would always pick a fight with a huge yellow chicken whenever they cross paths. He never got the joke until now because he's witnessing it but only with two girls that were ready to claw at each other's face.

Cilan sighed as he noticed that behind Georgia was Burgundy. Even though he just made up with her after the tournament, he still wasn't looking forward to speaking with her. He was afraid that she would make people more aware of his two-face personality and he didn't like people that were loud and nosy.

"Ah, it's Cilan!" She exclaimed with a smirk as she walked over to the group past Iris and Georgia. "It's been a while. Still have good taste garçon?"

He chuckled nervously. "Not recently…got sick…my taste was terrible, but I'm feeling better now."

If the girls were here then Stephan and Luke were here too. They came through the Pokémon Center tired and beaten. Stephan looked ready to collapsed.

"I'm hungry…" He muttered to Luke.

"This is why we should have waited until the storm past…" Luke added with a sigh. His Zorua who was on his shoulder just snickered at Stephan in his weakened state. Bianca instantly stood up and dashed toward them.

"ZORUA~"

Luke didn't see it coming. Bianca tackled him to the ground and grabbed his Zorua who didn't give a damn at this point whenever she saw the blonde.

"B-Bianca, what are you doing here?"

"Zorua, I missed you so much~"

"If you're here then…" Stephan spotted Ash and waved. "Hey Ash!"

"Hey Stephan!"

"…It's Stephan…you got the accent wrong…" Stephan muttered with a sigh. "Whatever…"

Blair just grinned seeing so many people from the tournament. It's funny how the drawbridge is allowing everyone to meet up so soon. Maybe that's what these teenagers needed. They needed someone to appear and give them something to brighten their day, and while Cilan would argue that he didn't like Burgundy, she was still making him act different from usual.

The only one missing is Trip…

The group would all settle down soon and sit in the waiting room, forming a huge circle in the process.

"Damn, our group is big!" Stephan declared.

It was true though. Adding the main trio with the rivals, Blair and Michael that would be ten people to form the circle. The circle would be complete if Trip was here though.

"Well, it's only here because those assholes aren't letting anyone across!" Georgia cursed. "I would be on my way to kick more dragon ass if they just let me cross."

Iris smirked. "They wouldn't let a kid like you across the bridge now would they?"

"They wouldn't let you either!"

And lighting could be seen as the two continued to glare at each other.

"Hey, Stephan," Blair began actually pronouncing his name right by chance, "by any chance, are you entering the Unova League? I didn't get to ask you the last time."

"Of course!" Stephan declared happy that someone got his name right. "I have four badges!" He said this as he took out his case revealing the four badges that everyone had which were the trio badge, basic badge, insect badge and bolt badge, which was the recent. Bianca searched through her purse to try to find her case. Ash did the same thing too. Both of them stopped though when they realized that their badge case was missing.

"Oh no!" They both declared, "We left it at the mansion!"

Stephan was confused. "You mean that big mansion in the middle of nowhere that was too scary to go into?"

"I still think it would have been a good idea…" Luke replied as he shook his head in disapproval.

Ash realized in horror that because they left their badge case their that Trip might get in trouble for them not clearing it out.

"We have to go back!"

"That's crazy Ash!" Cilan shouted. "We already left that place and I'm not going back."

"What?"

"But my badge case…" Bianca muttered.

Burgundy noted that Cilan was acting different now. It almost seemed like he was angry…like the first time they battled…and that was a scary experience for her.

"Ash, you probably left the badge case there because you were looking for an excuse to turn around. Take my advice and just wait until the problem with Trip's family is done and he can be on his merry way."

"What? How could you say something like that Cilan?"

"What's my excuse then?" Bianca added to fuel the fire. "I wouldn't want to go back there either but I left it there!"

If Cilan said something offensive to her, Blair would kick his ass, so he just ignored her. "You're just tired Ash. If you get some sleep, you can think clearer tomorrow."

"But…"

"I believe him on that one." Blair said supporting the green haired gym leader, "Nothing good comes from irrational decisions whether it's in a Pokémon battle or a real life decision. Chances are the drawbridge still won't be open tomorrow so you'll have time to make a u turn."

 _So much for taking my side you jerk._ Cilan thought darkly.

"Even if you say that…"

"There's no need for you guys to do that. I got the badge cases right here."

Everyone turned around to see Trip walking toward him with the same stoic expression as ever. Ash noted that he was missing his usual bag with his camera but despite his facial expression, it looked like the young trainer ran a marathon.

"You two are idiots," he continued, "I asked you to back your things and you leave the most important thing behind. What would you do without me?"

He was mainly referring to Ash when he said that but still gave Bianca her badge case first. When she opened it, the four badges she had won. The same applied for Ash when he opened it.

"Thanks Trip." Ash said with a cheeky grin. "Aren't you going to take a break? You look like you ran the Pokéathlon."

"Well, I did have to escape before my uncle could start yelling at me again. I have to go back anyway to get my stuff…but judging from the fact everyone is here, I guess the drawbridge won't be available anytime soon."

"That burns me up!" Georgia continued to shout. "We'll catch Team Plasma if they start that shit again!"

"Definitely." Iris agreed for once.

Ash continued to observe Trip more and realized that there was something different about him. While he was still talking in the same tone, looking under his eyelids were black rings. He looked exhausted like he didn't get any sleep. Was he really okay?

Cilan started to feel bad for the photographer now. He was just insulting him and now he learned that Trip ran all the way here to prevent them from having to go back to that crazy mansion.

 _I guess I should apologize._ Cilan thought to himself as he stood up and went over to Trip. It was just going to be a simple gesture of patting him on the head meaning a job well done and that was it. "Thank you very much Trip, I take back what I said."

As he was patting his head though, he didn't seem to realize the expression on Trip's face when he patted his head changed instantly from stoic to fear.

"No…" He ended up whispering.

Cilan didn't hear him at all and continued the gesture.

"Get away from me…no…NO!"

What happened next caught everyone off guard. Trip shoved Cilan off of him and he was sent flying across the room. Cilan was lucky that he didn't crash into the window or he would have shards in his suit.

"No! No! No! No! Get away from me!" He ended up screaming confusing everyone.

Blair tried to calm everyone down before it got worse but of course Ash had to be the one to make things more complicated.

"Trip, what's wrong?" Ash questioned as he instantly got up. He saw Trip was freaking out over nothing but he shouldn't have instigated the confrontation.

When Ash reached out to the younger trainer, Ash met the same fate as Cilan as he was pushed onto Stephan and Luke who were going to tell Ash that it wasn't a good idea to provoke him.

"Trip, what's wrong?" Bianca asked him but Blair prevented her from doing anything.

The commotion caught the attention of everyone in the Pokémon Center. At this point though, Trip didn't care anymore, he started backing up against the other window mumbling the same words under his breathe over again to try and calm himself down but it didn't work, so by the time he reached the other side away from Ash and Cilan, his legs gave out on him as he broke down in tears.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry…"

Stephan and Luke helped Ash back up but he was in too much of a state of shock to realize what was happening now.

"Trip…"

Blair had a hunch that the worse had just hit Trip and everyone here was too powerless to stop the unthinkable. They couldn't do anything as the same words were repeated until Nurse Joy came out.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 7971 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. At this point, you should know what Blair's theme is when it comes to names. He has Oz, Gilbert, Alice, Break, Lotti and Reim. 
> 
> 2\. Blair at this point shouldn't have a Meganium, but I'm implying that anywhere on the east side of Unova, it's very easy to get Pokémon from another region. Bianca might not know that because she just recently started her journey. Of course, this applies to Whitlea and Cheren too who have the other two Johto starters.
> 
> 3\. Blair's Simipour has an eye patch over its eye due to an accident. Now Simipour doesn't open its eyes ever but I'm implying that Blair's Simipour is blind in that eye but with a blind eye comes better hearing.
> 
> 4\. Est is very bad at battling. I already said that before but this takes the cake. Her obvious problem is that she doesn't evolve her Pokémon and have them stick to their first evolution. However, she has three other Pokémon she hasn't used it and only one of them is a final evolution hence why she said Zorua is the best plus another one. Again, her Zorua is more competent than her at times.
> 
> 5\. Blair's so badass that he teaches his Pokémon the strongest moves, and just so you know, in the Pokémon anime where a Pokémon can have more than four moves, Blair takes the cake with how many moves his Pokémon know.
> 
> 6\. When Zorua uses night daze, the colors are swapped because this Zorua is shiny.
> 
> 7\. The reference to Blair choosing Oshawott is based on that comic on Deviant Art where trainers are mocking Oshawott and don't choose him because he's ugly, and then the male protagonist walks up to Oshawott and wants him to be his starter. 
> 
> 8\. Another thing that's obvious is the age consent in Unova and Kanto. Well, in Japan, you obviously have more freedom at a young age hence Ash starts his journey at ten. In America, you can't do that until you're at least sixteen and be able to drive. That's why I had Blair state most trainers start at sixteen with Trip being the sole exception for some weird reason I rather not go into.
> 
> 9\. I felt like there should have been more gym leaders in the Unova region. I don't like the idea that it stops at Opelucid City and then going up to the Pokémon League when there was still the east area to explore. Basically, I implied that Blair, Whitlea and Cheren went east instead of north after their final gym battle hence why they missed the Unova League. However, Whitlea and Cheren did not get the badge from Lacunosa Town and Whitlea got the badges from Undella Town and Black City. This leads to the next info…
> 
> 10\. The Lacunosa gym isn't necessary a gym. As Blair stated, it was more of a temple at the top of the hill AKA, it's near the Giant Chasm. That's where Trip's grandmother and aunt live and where Est trains. It's a very difficult place to train and it's a terrifying area because this is the Mephisto family you're dealing with. The Mephisto family is like the Sonozaki family in Higurashi. They are the feared family in the region because as I implied before, they are assassins and are willing to kill you not with Pokémon but by their own hands. As a result, you don't want to end up on their bad list. Their punishment is more terrifying then what Sabrina did in the original Kanto arc mainly because it focuses less on the supernatural and shows what mankind is capable of. If you are part of this family and want to break free, prepare to go through hell. Now I already stated that Rhia (Trip's grandmother) is the head of the Mephisto family and has two daughters Maddalen and Ilyana. She had a falling out wit Maddalen (the older twin) and she is very overprotective of Ilyana (the younger twin). Rhia is very sexist and basically denies all males from entering the temper. Blair isn't going to go into detail but he basically went through hell to get the clockwork badge from her. This badge has nothing to do with the temple but rather the town, as Lacunosa Town is the only town that actually obeys the rules of time. It's a more advance badge, as it seems to be moving when you tilt it. You have bragging rights if you get this badge in particular but because everyone is too scared to battle Rhia, no one dares to go see. As a result, Blair is basically one of the few people with a genuine badge. Rhia's loss against Blair is the reason why she's allowing Ilyana and Est to travel around Unova…to pass the temple to her after she's seen the world. BTW, Rhia uses a combination of psychic, fighting and bug Pokémon. Psychic Pokémon train the mind, fighting Pokémon train the body and the bug Pokémon she has (Accelgor) is basically a ninja that kills the target in one clean motion, and these Pokémon aren't from the Unova region for the most part. Blair is lucky to be alive.


	14. Sea of Oblivion Scatters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trip is out of his mind and he has every right to after what his uncle and his friends did to him. His sanity level is at its peak and everything from his past catches up to him as he feels the need to end everything quickly before things get any worse. Can Ash snap him out of these suicidal thoughts before its too late?

_They finally let up a few hours before morning. The damage was already done though. Trip's body was aching all over when Bane and his men were finally satisfied. The truth was they weren't finished but Trip apparently blacked out on them. His uncle was forced to take him back to his room and threw him on the bed. When Trip woke up though, he remembered every little detail of the night he had and instantly got up and rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He made it to his toilet and started throwing up. His stomach was messed up badly from the night before and that's all he wanted to do, but they forced him to swallow everything. It was sickening._

_"Why me…?" Trip asked himself. "Why did this happen to me?"_

_His uncle told him it was his fault that he got raped and that he shouldn't expect anyone to feel sorry for him. Nobody cared when someone lost their virginity and that was the type of world they lived in. He wished he were in Ash's shoes because he could always smile and anticipate a great day the world would throw at him. He couldn't do that and after what happened, Trip felt like everything around him was an illusion and he was just dreaming._

_"I need to wake up…" He told himself. "I got to…"_

_Flushing the toilet a few more times, he closed the lid before he jumped into the shower. The water was cold but he needed the icy drops on his body. He wanted to wash everything away. The blood, the semen, the pain…everything. He just wanted everything to go away when he was done with the shower._

_Taking the sponge that was hanging from the fosset he scrubbed himself to get rid of all the fluids that were on his body. However, even when most of the fluids were watching down the drain, he continued to scrub all over._

_"It's not going away." He kept telling itself. "It's still here!"_

_He was referring to their scent. They reeked of alcohol and drugs and he still felt their scent on his body._

_"Go away...go away...go away..."_

_He really was losing it. Trip was certain he was in the shower for a long time when he heard his uncle knock on his door._

_"I'm just checking to see if my angel is in there." Bane could be heard from the other side, "I'm going to run a few errands. Don't you dare leave this mansion because if you do, your Pokémon will be the ones to suffer!"_

_His uncle continued to laugh as he walked away from the door. Trip didn't dare leave his spot in fear that his uncle was still at the door waiting to pounce him._

_"Son of a...dammit..."_

_The photographer slammed his fist against the wall. He hated feeling powerless in this situation. He just wanted someone to assure him that everything would be okay. Bane's words clouded his mind though telling him that no one would forgive a murderer, not even Ash and judging from Ash's reaction to the dead bodies, Trip knew this was true. None of them needed to know what he did to protect himself..._

_"That's a lie..." He muttered, "I killed those men for fun...I'm no better than that bastard..."_

_The water was getting too cold for his body. Trip had to get out eventually. Wrapping a towel around his body hoping that he would be able to cover his dignity with it, he rushed out of the bathroom and toward his room. He stopped though when he reached his room though. Paranoia started to eat at him. He kept asking himself, "What if they were behind this door waiting for me to let my guard down?" He realized that he didn't feel safe in his own room at all and rushed to a room that he knew he could find comfort in...the room Ash stayed in._

_Once he reached the guest room, he quickly locked the door. His heart was still beating despite being safe in this room. Glancing around the room, Trip realized something that was on the bed. Slowly, he walked over to the bed and plopped on top of it. He didn't change the bed sheets because he didn't have time to do that when the living room and kitchen needed the most touching up to do. Ash's scent still lingered on the bed as a result. While Ash's scent wasn't the best in terms of smell, it was better than what Trip went through last night. He would rather absorb and memorize the scent of someone that cared for him then those that stole his virginity last night._

_The blanket was starting to get soaked. The dirty blonde didn't realize he was crying until the blanket became a little damp._

_"Ash...please help me..." He cried softly to himself, "I can't handle this alone..."_

_Trip realized it was futile to cry for someone who wasn't going to help him no matter what, and that's why he felt a pain in his heart. He should have realized something important before it was too late._

_"Ash...I'm scared..." He continued as he curled up in a ball. Why didn't he tell Ash this when he was still here? Maybe there would have been a chance for him but that opportunity was gone. He would never see Ash again..._

_The photographer realized that he had his hand on something hard. Looking up, he couldn't see what it was because his tears blurred his vision. Wiping away his tears though, Trip realized that it was a badge case and it belonged to Ash. Opening it up, Trip saw there were four badges with the bolt badge being the recent by the obvious shininess._

_"...That idiot forgot his badge case..." He mumbled as he slowly got off the bed. Looking at the counter, he noticed that Bianca also left her badge case here. He realized that the two wouldn't be able to get far without it meaning they would come back anyway...but if they came back to this mansion, his uncle would kill them._

_"I can't allow that...I'll never allow that."_

_Trip suddenly jumped out of the bed and searched the closet. His clothes were scattered around the mansion so it was easy to find a pair of clothes to go out in. He also found a rope at the back of the drawer. Trip laughed bitterly to himself that he recalled keeping a rope back here in case he wanted to hang someone in the middle of the night. He would use it to escape the mansion and be back before his uncle came back. It wasn't like his uncle checked every room in the mansion anyway._

_"...Wait for me everyone...I'll be back."_

_He was referring to Vanillite and the rest of his Pokémon. He quickly tied a rope to the bed post before he slid down the rope with the two badge cases in hand._

* * *

Ash learned something from the Nurse Joys in the Unova region and the Nurse Joys in his region. They had sedatives ready if something bad were to happen unlike the ones from the Kanto region that always tried to be voice of reason instead of getting their hands dirty.

That's what ended up happening. Nurse Joy was very quick with knocking out Trip during his freak out. She asked Blair to help her bring Trip to the back of the Pokémon Center. Everyone else was told to wait outside. However, the innocent bystanders instantly left in fear that Trip would attack them when he woke up.

Ash didn't understand what happened. One moment Trip was fine and the next minute, he threw a tantrum like a little kid. Burgundy made sure that Cilan wasn't injured but that wasn't what Cilan had on his mind on, as he too was worried about the younger trainer. Iris kept asking the Kanto trainer if he was okay but the only thing that wasn't okay was his ego. Ash and Cilan had no idea that Trip had that much upper body strength to push them across the room and they didn't want to know why he had a lot of power for someone so young.

"I don't get it," Georgia started, "he was fine a minute ago. Does anyone have a clue what just happened?"

The eerie silence in the room made it apparent that no one knew what just occurred. They waited patiently for Nurse Joy or Blair to come out and tell him what happened. Bianca knew that Blair would tell them. She had been friends for him long enough to know that Blair would know what just happened. He was the bookworm to Whitlea's athletic nature.

Blair came out of the room eventually with a grim expression on his face. It wasn't a good thing from Bianca's experience.

"What happened to Trip?" Ash questioned almost immediately looking ready to attack Blair.

"Ash, calm down!" Cilan almost shouted.

Blair gave a hard stare to Ash before debating if he should give out information.

"Nurse Joy is taking care of him but it's not good. What we just witnessed was something of a PTSD."

"PTSD?" Ash wondered.

Most of the group was lost at the term too but Cilan ended up explaining, "It's short for post traumatic stress disorder. It's a condition that makes the person diagnosed with it react in an unpleasant manner. When a life changing event like the death of someone close to them or a near death experience or something equally traumatizing will have the person react like that; an example would be a near drowning experience. The person would do all in their power to avoid any place where there is water and will freak out if they cannot avoid it because they are forced to go to said area."

"That makes sense...I guess..." Stephan stated, "If that's the case though, then what did Trip experience that would make him react like that? It hasn't been that long since we all saw each other."

It had only been a day at best for Ash and if Trip reacted like that, then his uncle must have done something terrible to him. His blood boiled thinking of what that asshole did.

"Nurse Joy is still trying to determine what the hell happened, but I already have a hunch what took place."

"What? What happened?" Bianca had to ask.

Blair's expression darkened as he looked ready to kill someone with that look. The blonde knew that Blair rarely had that expression because he was rarely angry. However, she could tell he was beyond furious at this point, but it only showed in his actions and expression and not with words.

"Trip was..."

The room was quiet when Blair finished his sentence. Blair felt like he shouldn't have finished what he just said but it was too late for that and the reaction was expected. Shocked, horror, anger...these were the expressions that the trainers bared when the word was spoken. The brunette predicted that Bianca would be the first to break down from the news and he felt the need to comfort her, but not at this moment.

"No way…we were right there yesterday…"

Sure enough, the blonde was the first one on her knees sobbing. Blair really wanted to hug her at that moment but he had to be the strongest one emotionally in this room. As a result, Luke was the one that tried to comfort her. No one else moved from there spot though as they let this information sink in.

"B-Blair…stop joking! This is a joke, right?" Iris finally asked her voice very shaky.

No response came from the brunette signifying that he wasn't joking. Knowing that what he said was the truth, tears started to flow from her eyes. Cilan wasn't going to comfort her though because he was still shocked at what he heard. He couldn't believe he missed the signs of something like this happening. If they didn't leave Trip behind, this wouldn't have had happened.

Ash had the hardest time absorbing this information. The promise he made to Trip was instantly shattered. He promised that he would come back for him when everything settled down but if they just convinced him.

"…This is my fault…" He ended up blurting out. "If I just forced him to come along with us then…"

"That wouldn't have had changed anything." Blair told him harshly.

"Why not?"

"Ash, calm down…" Cilan tried to tell Ash again but it wasn't working.

"I was right there dammit! You can't tell me that if I wasn't there that nothing would change."

"It wouldn't." Blair challenged. "In fact, the situation would probably be worse if you guys were still there."

"What?"

"Ash!" Cilan called out his name again. Ash knew he shouldn't pick a fight with Blair who actually looked ready to snap at someone who rubbed him the wrong way.

"Anyway, I think it's best not to do anything that would freak him out when he wakes up." Blair reminded the group as he turned to Bianca. "Bianca, please don't cry. It's not going to change anything."

"I know but…ah…"

Blair couldn't do anything at all. He could only watch Luke be the one to comfort her in her time of need. He was a terrible friend at the moment but he had to be strong as he looked back at Ash. "Ash, I think you should be the one to see him though when he wakes up…if he wakes up…"

"What?"

"Just saying. I'm going to go get some fresh air."

It sounded like something cruel of him to say but he was obviously stressed because of this. Cilan, Michael and Burgundy acknowledge that and let him through. The others didn't understand why he was being such an asshole at the moment. If only they knew…

Ash didn't wait for anyone to tell him to go see Trip. Ash rushed past the doors. He had to see his friend to make sure he was still okay even though he already knew the answer.

* * *

Ash finally found the room Trip was sent to after his breakdown. Nurse Joy was no longer there to do anything for him but judging from the fact that there was only Est and the purple Audino that Est had to take care of in there, chances were that she was done. He slowly made his way into the room when he heard Est mumble something that he wouldn't understand.

"Like mother…like son…you two have too many things in common…even this to realize that you loved someone else…and realized that you would never be with them because of this incident…"

"Audino!"

Est turned around to see Ash and frowned. The raven-haired teen could tell that the little witch was crying.

"…I'm a failure guardian…" She ended up mumbling. "Can't protect his mother…can't protect his aunt…and now I can't protect him…I'm useless…"

"Est…"

Est slowly got up and headed for the door. "I'll be in the waiting room with everyone else…call me if you need me…I doubt it though…Joi, let's go."

"Au!"

The purple Audino and her slowly walked out of the room. Ash sighed as he turned to Trip who was hooked up to some hospital equipment. It was like he was in a life or death situation all of a sudden.

 _It is sudden._ Ash thought to himself as he took the spot where Est was sitting a few moments ago. _Yesterday you were smiling and laughing with the rest of us, and now you're like this. Will you wake up again…or am I being too negative?_

Trip didn't look peaceful when he was sleeping. He should be though…but maybe the nightmares attack him even in his sleep. Ash hated not being able to do anything but sit there and wait for him to wake up…

* * *

_That night was coming back to him. He knew he shouldn't have had fainted just like that because he would fall right back into the nightmare._

_He was still defenseless in his dream as he was in real life. He didn't have the strength to kick his uncle and his men off of him. The only difference was the dream made it more humiliating than in real life._

_The floor, walls and ceiling all had mirrors that glared back down at him. If he opened his eyes, he would witness what was happening to him at that moment. He would witness himself being raped by these men all night and he couldn't do anything to stop it._

_"Come on you brat! You're not done!" Bane shouted at him as he put Trip on his stomach and started pounding him in the ass hard._

_"Ahhhhhh! S-Stop it…" He cried out but his voice was cracked at this point. Drowned by the panting of older men that were getting off at a young boy, Trip could only cry in futility._

_"Why couldn't you be Maddalen, why?"_

_That sentence was repeated like an ominous Latin chant. When Trip opened his eyes, he saw his expression in the mirror. It should have been one of pain and agony but the expression that was reflected back at him looked like he was enjoying this type of sexual intercourse._

_"You like it don't you?"_

_"No…"_

_"You need to be just like her! A slut that can take in all our love inside of them!"_

_"No…someone…help…"_

_"You don't want help." A voice spoke up suddenly."You just want to take all of their cum inside of you."_

_Trip recognized that voice better than anyone. His breathing suddenly became heavy when he glanced at the person that appeared in front of him._

_"You…"_

_The boy just looked at him and grinned sheepishly. "I'm you, and I know you want this more than anything."_

_"No…I don't…"_

_At first it seemed like the reflection in the mirror came to life making him the splitting image of Trip. On closer inspection, one could see that his entire body was surrounded in a black aura similar to how Shadow Pokémon were…only his eyes were gold and looked menacing, but like him, he was butt naked._

_"You do. You just want to tell them to pound you harder. Heck, if you had your way, you would have done it longer before you collapsed."_

_"No…I don't…want…ahhh…"_

_His shadow counterpart just cackled at the pitiful sight. "Why lie to yourself? Your body is doing the talking for you."_

_"S…t…op…"_

_He just smirked as his reflection started to touch himself. "I want people to look at me. I don't want people to see me as a replacement for my mother. If they want to have sex with her so be it, but if they want it with me, expect better results."_

_When he said that, the camera man took notice of the reflection and went over to him. The camera man smirked as he helped his reflection relieve himself but in the process of doing so, tied his arms behind his back. The shadow didn't seem to mind at all and just accepted this bondage situation without a fight. The camera man placed his camera down and positioned the shadow above his cock before slowing lowering his body down. He quickly started did a fast pace and his shadow enjoyed every minute of it._

_"Stop…I…"_

_"You're enjoying this sight too~" His shadow said with a laugh as he let out a loud moan. "Just think what would happen if this was Ash that was fucking you instead of these guys~ You would have came a long time ago."_

_"Don't bring…him…in…ahhhhhhhh…"_

_The mention of Ash actually had an effect on him to his horror. His uncle was already finished but then continued anyway while his other men had no choice but to pump themselves._

_"I can just imagine it~" Despite his hands being tied behind his back, the shadow still decided to be melodramatic without them. "Oh Ash~ Take me now! I don't care if I'm not even old enough to consider having sex but I don't care! I'm a slut just like my mother and I can satisfy you with my body! If you have any chicks from the boonies, just dump them! They got nothing on me….ahhhhhhh~"_

_"That's…" Trip couldn't really think anymore. His mind was being clouded by the smell in the room. That disgusting yet addicting smell of these men were affecting him badly. He would not admit that he was getting turned on._

_"Then again, if your prince charming ever found out, he would drop you just like that. He doesn't like dirty things like us."_

_"No…"_

_His shadow frowned when he said that though. "It's such a shame. I really like him but if he thinks we're dirty, then we have no choice but to continue to be one. Not like I mind~ I like big cocks inside me anyway."_

_"No…no no no no no no no no no no no!"_

_His shadow had an orgasmic cry when he and the camera man came together. The camera man dropped the reflection like an old sack and picked up his camera again. The reflection easily untied himself and crawled over to his real self._

_"Of course, there's always an alternative if you don't want to be his sex slave forever."_

_Trip thought he wasn't listening anymore. His eyes were dull and his brain wasn't functioning now. Only his hips moved in a steady beat with Bane's thrusts._

_"You could always kill yourself. Ahahahahahaha~"_

* * *

Trip woke up in a hot sweat as he nearly screamed. However, he held it in as he tried to regain his posture. He wasn't safe even when he fell asleep. How ironic that he would be haunted by his bastard uncle whether he was awake in the real world or asleep in the dream world.

He tried to remember what happened though. He remembered dashing over to the drawbridge rest stop to give Ash and Bianca their gym badges before freaking out and black out shortly afterward. He caused a scene in front of everyone…and now they all probably think he's a freak.

He looked outside and noticed that it was already night time. It was raining cats and dogs again…it would make it difficult for him to rush back to the mansion. The young trainer instantly panicked as he tried to get out of bed. However, there was some weight on the bed that prevented him from moving suddenly. It was then did he notice that Ash was sleeping by his side. He and his Pikachu and Eevee were resting on the floor right next to him. Ash put his hat right next to the stand right next to Trip where he noticed that his cellphone was also there. He probably brought it just to make sure he had a clock with him.

Getting back to Ash though, he noticed that the teen was sleeping peacefully despite what happened this afternoon. The dirty blonde couldn't help but smile sadly at him. This boy right here changed him so much in such a small period of time. Maybe it was because he was too similar to Amanda, the girl he looked up to as an older sister before getting brutally murdered. Maybe it was because he was an annoying trainer that wouldn't back out of his life. Maybe it was both of those reasons combined, but one thing was for sure, Trip liked how Ash was so kind to him despite being obnoxious most of the time.

It saddened him that Ash would never be his.

 _What am I thinking?_ Trip thought as he glanced away from the sleeping figure. _Why would I think that he would like me…heck…do I even know what I'm saying?_

It was true. Trip had to ask himself when he started developing feelings for the Kanto trainer. It couldn't possibly be their first encounter. No…Trip thought he was an annoying hillbilly that needed to get the fuck away from him. Second encounter was no different…still a loser even if he had more experience under his belt. His third meeting made him question why Ash was so reckless. He still couldn't figure out why he would take an attack from his Lampent and still be able to walk around claiming that the Venipede were kind creatures. Fourth appearance…maybe he told himself that he needed to open up to him if he was going to be this persistent…and then at the Don George tournament…he couldn't bare look at him in the eye when he lost. Even though he got second place, he knew he just sealed his fate with his mother who was in the crowd watching him battle. She would consider him a failure and any chance of making up was gone…but it just pissed him off that this idiot could do something like that.

Trip was still trying to go back to any other time that might have made his heart beat. Ash and his friends staying at the mansion could have been when things really started to hit off. He learned a little bit more on why Ash was a fucking idiot at times and he learned that Ash was a very trusting person…if he found out that Trip murdered those people out of pure spite and became a sex slave to his uncle…Ash wouldn't forgive him…

 _He would probably label me as trash._ Trip convinced himself as he noticed that his phone was vibrating. _That's all I am though…no one would…_

The gray eyed trainer slowly reached for his phone…and felt his heart stop.

His uncle called him…and he had four missed calls…and the text message was just recent. Trip slowly read the text message and felt the urge to throw up again.

_He knows I'm not there…he'll kill my Pokémon if I don't get back now._

Trip felt his vision blur and his heart started pounding until the point that it hurt. Why now did he have to message him about his Pokémon? Why did he have to make things more difficult? Why couldn't he even have a minute of peace before he went insane? Why…

What his reflection in his dream told him...should he…do it…?

_"You should just kill yourself…"_

_…I'll do it…I can't take this anymore…no one would miss me anyway if I died…_

* * *

"Ash, wake up now! Ash!"

The Kanto trainer was suddenly rudely awaken by Iris who was freaking out.

"I-Iris, what is it?"

"Trip is gone!"

"…WHAT?"

He looked at the bed and Trip was gone. He went out through the window apparently being able to pass by everyone in the Pokémon Center when he woke up.

"We got to find him!" Ash shouted, as he was wide-awake now. Where could Trip have gone in this weather and in that condition? He couldn't be rushing back to the mansion would he?

Apparently, the rest of the group was aware that Trip was missing to and all split up to try and find him before the rain outside got worse. Iris and Georgia went one way, Cilan and Burgundy another, Stephan and Luke went a third way, Bianca and Est went a fourth way, Blair and Michael a fifth way and Ash, Pikachu and Eevee was to check the area where the drawbridge was. This town was small and with this many people, so they would surely find him.

However, it was not going to be easy. The rain started pouring harder to the point that it was impossible to see things in front of you. Ash and the group didn't have any raincoats but luckily the Pokémon Center would allow them to take their umbrellas for this occasion.

"TRIP!" Ash called out. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"PIKA!"

"EEVEE!"

"TRIP!"

Ash continued forward despite Mother Nature being against him. He had to find Trip no matter what…he feared that Trip would do something stupid in this weather…

"TRIP!"

He made it to the bridge and noticed that it was at its highest. It was easy to scale the drawbridge but he wondered why no one was around. He noticed a figure at the very top when the bridge was raised. His eyes widened in horror.

"TRIP!"

The photographer didn't hear him and that's what scared Ash. In this rainstorm, Trip wouldn't be able to hear anything unless he was closer. Ash noticed that Trip was leaning on the railing despite the bridge being raised. He wasn't planning too…

"Shit, shit, shit! Pikachu, Eevee, get Cilan or anyone nearby now!"

Ash's mind was shutting down fast. Pikachu saw his trainer panic but he had no choice to obey. He took Eevee and searched for someone close to help. Ash literally rushed toward the drawbridge desperately calling Trip's name hoping he would hear him and turn his way.

The dirty blonde didn't hear him in the end. Ash's eyes widened in horror as he leaned over the bridge and jumped.

"TRIP!"

Without thinking, Ash followed after him. The height between the drawbridge and the water was very high. Trip wouldn't make it if he hit head first…which was what he was going for. Ash reached his hands out toward him. Ash didn't look like he would make it though.

_Come on! Let me catch him God, please!_

Ash was lucky that he managed to grab his hand at the very least. Too bad he couldn't do anything but that though as they both plunge down, Ash tried to snap Trip out of his trance.

"Come on Trip! You got to snap out of it, Trip!"

"…Ash…?"

When it looked like they were both going to have their skull cracked open…

"Echo, telekinesis!"

Ash and Trip's body both suddenly floated in midair without hitting the ocean. When Ash looked up, Ash noticed that Blair was there with a psychic Pokémon known as Gothitelle whose eyes were glowing a blue color as she tried to lift them both up. However, the rain made it difficult to do that which was why Blair threw a rope over the drawbridge.

"GRAB IT!" He screamed at the top of his lungs so he could be heard over the storm.

Ash managed to reach for the rope with his free hand. Blair couldn't pull the rope alone and his Gothitelle was tired after that. Michael tried helping him but two people weren't enough. Luckily as they started pulling, the other trainers found Blair and Michael and all eventually started pulling the rope in the storm.

As they were being pulled up Trip was slowly coming back to reality. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that he wasn't dead.

"Trip, you okay?"

"…Why…"

"Huh?"

"Why…am I alive?"

"Why did you save me?"

Trip's sudden outburst made the rope swing widely causing the group pulling to almost fall over (actually, it was only Burgundy that almost fell over the railing but Cilan wasn't going to let her fall.) Ash was caught off guard and almost let go of his hand. Instead he used this opportunity to pull Trip closer to his body.

"What are you talking about? I saved you because you were going to kill yourself!"

"…I wanted to die though…"

"What…?"

"I wanted to die dammit! I can't take it anymore! I don't want to deal with him anymore! I don't want him to do what he wants to me! I can't Ash! I can't!"

"Trip calm down!"

Trip started to break down hysterically. Ash didn't know what to do in this position except bring him closer with the one hand that had control of whether or not the younger trainer would die or not.

"Trip…"

"Ash…please let me die…I don't want to see the consequences of disobeying him…please! Just let me go!"

"No."

"…?"

"I won't let you go…and I don't think I will ever again."

The meaning of what the Kanto trainer declared was very vague. It could have meant anything but to a normal person, he just confessed his love for the young photographer. Trip didn't care anymore. He just wanted the pain to go away.

Blair and the group managed to pull them back onto safe ground. Cilan looked like he was ready to demand answers from Trip but upon seeing the gray-eyed trainer cry again, he said nothing. With the other hand no longer holding the rope, Ash embraced the younger trainer as he let out a hoarse cry. They would remain in that position for a while until Trip fell unconscious in which the group would take him back to the Pokémon Trainer and talk about his suicide attempt.

However while Ash's mind was taking care of Trip, he was unaware that the people close to him were at their breaking point…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 7375 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. Now I know suicide is a weak way to ending the misery but Trip's technically ten and he was already at his breaking point for years. Because he was already suffering for so long, he would think suicide was the way to go instead of like…talking to his friends about the situation. However, choosing suicide is similar to what the protagonist of the new series Higanbana no Saku Yoru Ni who technically chose the path that would end her life instead of doing the smart thing which was call the police and explain the situation. Trip isn't thinking though so…
> 
> 2\. Does anyone notice that Cilan is getting more irritated with each passing chapter? I hinted at the end of this chapter someone was going to snap and I'm obviously pointing at Cilan but it could be Blair too.
> 
> 3\. Est implied something dark and sinister about Trip and Maddalen by simply saying "Like mother, like son." So I think you readers can put the facts together without me having to spell it out.
> 
> 4\. Trip's nightmare sequence is disturbing but there is a meaning behind it. If anyone has played Persona 4, you would know that every person has a Shadow behind the Midnight Channel that they say things that the person is feeling but exaggerate what they feel. An obvious example from the game is Chie. Her Shadow says she's jealous of her best friend Yukiko and needs to be around her to feel like she exists and to control Yukiko. In reality, Chie was envious of Yukiko because she got all the guys but she's willing to put up with that because it's Yukiko and swears to protect her at all cost. So technically, Trip's "shadow" in his nightmare is exaggerating the whole "I love sex" thing and is more like "I want people to notice who I am instead of comparing me to my mother." As I mentioned in other notes, Trip and his mother Maddalen look VERY much alike but people only fail to notice it because Maddalen dyed her hair. Also, the shadow is technically implying that Trip is in love with Ash and the idea of Ash liking someone else would piss him off even if Ash were shown to be oblivious to the affection of other girls like Misty and Anabel. However, I'm surprised that no one in Best Wishes has fallen in love with Ash. Finally, "You should just kill yourself" is basically Trip giving up all hope on everything in life. Because his life sucked so much and even though he's still ten, he feels like to end his life now but I'm going to mention in the next chapter how kids shouldn't even be thinking of suicide at that age.
> 
> 5\. Trip's thought process of Ash is mixed up greatly. Because he was just sexually assaulted, his mind is not in the right place. As a result, many things come to mind to get his mind off of his uncle. When he's thinking about when his feelings for Ash changed, this could be seen as him trying to convince himself that he loves Ash and then realize Ash would hate him if he found out. This story is still Kodakshipping but Trip is still too young to realize what he wants.
> 
> 6\. Ash's feelings for Trip hasn't been developed that much either and this is because no one is pushing Ash toward Trip or vise versa except Est who Trip ignores because she's annoying in his eyes. However, this will probably be the turning point where Ash starts to realize he likes Trip more than a friend. He needs someone to push him in the right direction but not even Blair can do that for him. When you think about it, the people close to Ash can't help because Cilan is close to snapping, Iris is too busy worrying about Cilan, Bianca is desperate for Blair's affection and Blair is having a hard time expressing his feelings for Bianca…and is probably jealous of Luke as a result. Burgundy and Georgia are not good role models and Luke and Michael are too young to help Ash out with this love thing. Stephan doesn't seem like the person…then again, he was pushing Cilan and Burgundy together in Best Wishes episode 44, so…
> 
> 7\. When the Subway Battle came out, the anime shows that the drawbridge is directly next to Nimbasa…unlike in this story where the group has to walk to get to the drawbridge and there's a small town right next to the drawbridge. Regardless, the drawbridge still has problems in the anime so…


	15. Explode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group doesn't know what they're supposed to do with the suicidal Trip but when Ash really needs advice from the older members, they're not there for him. That's because Cilan is at his breaking point with his brothers harassing him with one last threat before they plan to hurt his friends and Blair who can't get his feelings to Bianca across…

"Maddalen, please listen to me! I didn't do anything, I swear!"

A woman who looked to be in her mid twenties growled as she swatted the hand of man that was delusional enough to think that he was her girlfriend. She swore that men were useless nowadays and all the hardcore men were taken.

"Sure you didn't do anything. That's why you're on the Mephisto list of people to murder."

"B-But I didn't kill my previous girlfriend for money! I swear on my son's grave!"

She hated liars especially ones concerning kids. The cigarette she had in her mouth snapped in half for biting too hard. She got her gun out that she was hiding in between her breasts and aimed at him.

"You remind me of my ex-husband. Piss off and die!"

"Wait…I can make an off-"

She didn't let him finish as she shot him in the head. The bullet went through his brain perfectly as he fell straight to the ground. She growled as she spat her cigarette on his dead corpse.

"What a waste of time. Nova, Noah, you still there?"

Two servants appeared behind her. One was a man in his mid twenties with short blue hair and blue eyes that wore a blue butler's outfit. The other was a woman in her mid twenties with long blue hair and blue eyes that wore a spy suit instead of the traditional maid outfit that servants wore. They looked to be identical twins and they were. If one were to switch their hairstyles, then they would be near identical.

"You call Mistress?" The man known as Noah spoke.

"Get rid of this body."

"Understood." Nova, the woman ended up responding as she took the body and then disappeared as fast as a ninja.

"My lady, do you know there will be a get together in Driftveil City?" Noah asked her.

"Of course. I'm supposed to meet the other girls there…but that's after the dirty work is done."

"And what is that dirty work I must ask?"

"Taking out the trash…when he gets here…"

* * *

The next day came for the trainers. Most of them didn't get enough sleep after the storm and despite the fact that the storm had past technically, there was still more to come tonight but they didn't know that.

Ash managed to calm down Trip after another breakdown and managed to get him back to the Pokémon Center. Luckily, he didn't injure himself and the only problem was that his clothes were wet. His clothes were changed to those that patient wore in the hospital. Nurse Joy advised Ash and Est to take turns watching over Trip as she feared that if he was willing to kill himself after finding out what happened, then he needed to be under heavy surveillance.

The ultimate problem about Trip becoming suicidal was that another adult needed to know what happened to him. Ash, Iris, Cilan, Bianca and Est already knew that it was his uncle that did this to him, but without any proof, there no accusations could be made. That meant that Nurse Joy would have to call his family.

"Does anyone know who Trip's parents are?" Nurse Joy ended up asking.

Est looked away ashamed at the question asked. "He…doesn't keep in contact with either of his parents. And I can't get in contact with his aunt…because she's on the other side of the bridge."

"Well, can you try and call his parents. This is urgent."

"They don't care though!" Est suddenly shouted. "His father is a jealous asshole and his mom is money loving skank!"

"Est!" Blair ended up shouting at her because of her language.

"Maddalen is not a skank!" Stephan defended almost instantly.

The little witch growled, as she didn't say anything after that. Nurse Joy realized that she would have to rely on this little girl and his friends to take care of the broken child.

"I hope you know what you're doing Est."

"I do…"

That night was just stressful for everyone. Ash wouldn't leave the room after the conversation and refused to leave his seat unless someone took over so he could get fresh air. As a result, he neglected his Pokémon for the night and his Eevee didn't like this treatment. The others tried to get some sleep but some ended up have sleepless nights while others barely got any sleep.

Cilan and Blair had it the worse though. Blair tried to comfort everyone around him and while he was making everyone feel better for his encouraging words, he was the one that was becoming mentally exhausted as a result. As for Cilan…well…

* * *

Trip woke up from another nightmare. It was the same dream only this time, the voice inside his head called him lucky. How was he lucky if his suicide failed?

"Trip…you okay?"

This time, Ash wasn't asleep when he woke up.

"…How long was I out?"

"…It's almost been another full day…"

"!"

Trip quickly searched for his phone but it wasn't there. Ash had it in his hands and frowned.

"Trip, you can't keep doing this to yourself." Ash began in a serious tone. "You promised me that you would take care of yourself and now you're going to break that promise?"

"You don't understand!" Trip instantly shouted. When he started shouting though, he started to cough. The rain probably got him sick. "You don't know what he's capable of…I…" He trailed off because he started wheezing when he tried to overexert himself.

"Trip!"

Ash tried to pat him on the back lightly. The Kanto trainer knew he was burning up from a fever but he couldn't do anything about it. He tried to force the photographer to lie back down, but he pushed him off.

"Don't touch me!" Trip ended up yelling.

"Trip…"

The younger trainer didn't like how he was treating Ash after he saved his life. To be fair, he didn't want that to happen. Now he was probably seen as an emo kid in the raven haired teen's eyes. It didn't matter anymore. His life was over and if he didn't get back to the mansion, his Pokémon would suffer as well.

"Please let me leave…"

"I won't."

"I have to go back…"

"I won't let you."

"Dammit Ash, why are you being so difficult?"

"Why aren't you trusting us?"

Despite it being late at night again, their voices might wake everyone up.

"Trip, we're your friends! I told you that you could rely on us if you're ever in trouble. Why can't you just say "help me?" like a normal kid would when they're being hurt? You would save us all the trouble."

"I don't want your help!" Trip continued to yell. "I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help! I can handle this on my own!"

"Trip, that's not the way to go! Trip!"

Ash should have realized that by fighting back, he would only make the situation worse. However, Ash was doing things the only way he knew how to deal with someone throwing a temper tantrum…and that meant that he had no experience. All he knew was that his heart was aching and just letting the broken trainer lash out at him hurt more than anything.

"Let go of me Ash!"

Ash didn't realize that he reached for his arm when he started thrashing.

"Trip, calm down." Ash tried to say in a soothing voice.

"Let go dammit!"

It ended up getting a little violent as a result. Ash should have realized that Trip was hiding strength underneath his slim built as he was pulled onto the bed. The Kanto trainer groaned in pain but he wasn't going to let Trip have his way.

"Trip, calm down! This isn't you!"

"Let go! Leave me alone!"

If this wasn't the Pokémon Center and someone passed by the room, they would think that something rough was taking place on the bed. That really wasn't the case and not something you should be thinking of.

Eventually, Ash managed to get on top of Trip trying to hold him down.

"Trip, just stop it now!"

Ash was expecting more retaliation from him, but his struggling stopped almost instantly. The Kanto trainer's heart stopped beating when he saw tears flowing down the younger trainer's cheeks. Was he giving up?

"T-Trip…"

"Ash…why do you keep persisting…I'm…useless…"

"That's not true Trip!"

"You're only doing this because you pity me…I'm useless…stop…pitying me…"

"Trip!"

Ash felt like he was losing him. He didn't know what he could do to prove that he wasn't useless. There was one thing that came to mind and he was going to do it without thinking of the consequences.

He leaned down and forced a kiss on him. This caught the younger trainer off guard, as he didn't know how to react.

Ash really didn't know what he was doing after all. He had seen movies were people kissed. People around him always encouraged him to kiss Misty for whatever reason and he was always the fortunate person to never end up underneath the mistletoe with someone, so when he locked lips, he didn't know what the hell he was suppose to do. As a result, he thought he should try and experiment.

The problem was that Trip wasn't returning the kiss and Ash didn't seem to realize that it was a really bad sign if the one who started the kiss did not have it returned. As a result, he tried to explore the other's mouth with his tongue. Ash didn't seem to realize that Trip's entire body froze entirely and would not fight back against his advances, so when he pulled away, Ash realized he fucked up.

"T-Trip I…"

Trip didn't push him away though. In fact, he didn't seem to care anymore.

"You'll just like them…"

"Shit…Trip!"

"Do what you want with me."

It came out so naturally that if this was a normal conversation, Ash might have started laughing, but Trip was dead serious. Ash could kiss him, ravish his body and plant his seed inside and he wouldn't struggle. His uncle messed him up that much.

"…Dammit Trip…"

He released his tight grip on his arms as he quickly moved away from him. The raven haired teen didn't want to make the situation worse.

"Ash…"

"…Sorry…I'll leave you alone."

Ash tried to get off the bed but didn't expect Trip to grab a hold of his arm again.

"Trip?"

"Don't leave me…"

Ash couldn't quite hear him so he ended up scooting closer to him.

"Please don't leave me Ash…please…I…I…"

The photographer knew he was losing it. He started to sob again realizing how pathetic he sounded. Ash didn't hesitate to pull him in a protective embrace again.

"It's alright Trip. Everything is going to be okay. I promise I'll protect you."

Trip didn't believe him and both of them knew that. The younger trainer couldn't trust anyone now. Ash had to do all in his power to get him to open up again. But what could he do? He didn't know much about rape and how to help rape victims cope with sexual assault. These were the situations where he wished that he wasn't oblivious for so long so he could help the poor kid.

* * *

Trip fell back asleep eventually around midnight. Realizing that Trip wasn't going to wake up any time soon, Ash slowly rested him back into the bed and left the room. He was going to come back but he needed to use the restroom, check his Pokémon and get a midnight snack. On the way to the restroom, he bumped into Stephan who was disturbed by something.

"Why are you still up?" Ash asked confused.

"Uh…I was planning to uh…give you an update on your Pokémon because Cilan was busy doing something else and uh…"

Ash didn't believe him because he knew instantly that Stephan was lying to him.

"Really?"

"I'm serious! It's not like I didn't see anything tense happen or anything!"

Instantly Stephan looked away extremely embarrassed at what he just said. Ash's cheeks flushed a bright red but he was more ashamed with his actions than anything else.

"It's not what it looked like." Ash responded rather calmly. This surprised him because he expected to be stuttering or something.

"R-Really? I really thought you two locked lips…err…"

"Please Stephan, no more information…"

"Its Ste _phan_ but whatever you say. I may not know much about the situation like Blair and Cilan do but whatever you think is right for Trip, go for it. I'll be rooting for you."

"Hey…"

Stephan awkwardly backed up before he fled to the restroom. Ash didn't know why Stephan would support his actions. Anyone else would have lectured him for that stupid move. Stephan was weird though so…

* * *

Cilan felt like crap when he forced Michael to partner up with Blair. The green haired trainer should have been considerate to the young redhead but his patience was at his limit and he just wanted a room to himself. Blair equally wanted a room of his own but Cilan knew that Blair's kindness was a weakness and that he wouldn't say no to the Orre trainer. He was exhausted though and he blamed Kurtz for it.

Ever since he met Kurtz in Nimbasa, everything went to hell for him. Kurtz questioned him if he was truly happy being a spy for Team Plasma and if he was happy always wearing the mask of comedy wherever he went?

For the first time, his own character disturbed Cilan. He actually doubted Ghetsis after that one armor-piercing question. Was he living a lie or was he living the way he wanted to be? He would be lying to himself if he said that Ghetsis was a saint. He refused to acknowledge what Ghetsis was really planning and the terrible deeds he did to his own son…if that was even his son to begin with. If he admitted to Ghetsis being the reincarnation of the devil, what he was fighting for would be shattered instantly. If it weren't for the true leader of Team Plasma, Cipher members would have killed him and his brothers back then.

 _I can't betray Master Ghetsis._ Cilan told himself as he buried his head deeper into the pillow. _But I really…want friends…_

It really was Kurtz's fault for having him question his loyalty to Team Plasma and his friends. After that question, it's been misfortune after misfortune with Team Plasma terrorizing Nimbasa City, him falling ill, the whole incident at the mansion and now this.

"Hey Cilan, you're still awake right?"

Cilan instantly shot up to see his two brothers in their ninja outfits staring down at him. He frowned. "W-What is it?"

"Ghetsis told us to give you this final warning." Cress replied in a monotone as he handed him something in a box. "There are two trainers that are getting in the way of his plans. One of them is a boy name Blair and another is a girl called Whitlea. Just kill one of them and he'll forgive you for your constant failures."

"! I have to k-k-k-kill?"

"You might want to keep your voice down." Chili suggested despite being a little loud himself. "I'm pretty sure everyone here is asleep."

Cilan shook his head. "Y-You got to be crazy! I could never kill…"

"We did for Master Ghetsis." Cress told him darkly. "We all bare the burden of being the Shadow Triad. If you don't finish Blair off now…I can't imagine what he'll do to you."

"B-But…"

"Cilan, this is your last chance." Cress warned him. "If you mess this up, we won't be able to vouch for you."

"That would be totally uncool!" Chili added. "Since you're our bro, we need to stick together!"

"Then why can't you help me out now?" The green haired trainer snapped catching both of his brothers off guard. Normally Cilan would obey Ghetsis without a second thought but now he was rebelling against the idea of murder.

"He saved our lives," Cress reminded him, "we owe him so much, and you know that better than any one of us."

"But-"

"Cilan, you'll make the right choice, right?" Chili asked in a worried tone.

Cilan looked at Chili before glancing away. When he opened the box, he noticed that there was a dagger inside. This dagger was longer than a knife and had a design of a cracked skull on it. The Connoisseur knew what he must do even though he was against it. When he about to grab it out of the box though…

"Hey Cilan, you still awake?"

Chili and Cress left almost instantly when they sensed the presence of a trainer. The trainer's voice belonged to Blair. Cilan froze immediately. Why was Blair still up? He was putting him on the spot.

"Can I talk to you Cilan?" He continued to question.

"Y-Yes. You can come in..."

Blair allowed himself to enter the room and closed the door behind him. Cilan observed that the brunette didn't look well. In fact, he looked like he hasn't slept well recently and had dark rings under his eyes. The Unova trainer slowly waddled his way to a nearby chair and sat down. Cilan quickly closed the box as he hid it under his pillow. Blair didn't seem to notice.

"What's wrong Blair? The aroma swerving around you smells awful."

"I know. Everything that is going on now is just troublesome." He admitted as he rested his hand on his forehead. "I need someone to vent to and you're the only one who will listen to me."

 _What makes you think that?_ Cilan asked himself darkly. _I'm just as stressed as you._

Blair didn't notice the dark expression Cilan had and continued. "It's just…you know how…I helped diagnosed Nurse Joy diagnose Trip? I feel like I made everything worse for everyone."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, no one is taking the information well. I suspected much but now Bianca won't stop blaming herself for what happened. I wasn't there when you guys spent the time over at Trip's mansion, but I think that whether or not you guys were there, it was bound to happen. Call me pessimistic but I feel like there was nothing we could do for Trip."

Cilan kept quiet as he continued listening Blair vent his frustration and fears to him. Blair appreciated that the Connoisseur was taking him seriously.

"I mean…I knew that Trip's father and uncle aren't the nicest people around but I didn't think that his uncle would actually rape him…back then…but now that I see the world better, I realized that it was so obvious."

"You knew Trip when?" Cilan asked.

"For a year." Blair answered. "I only remember some detail about why he moved to Nuvema Town. Basically, his mother left and he was stuck with his abusive father that constantly past him over to his uncle to watch over him and his uncle is a prick, as we both know. So Trip's father's friend Kurtz basically decided to take Trip and send him to live in Nuvema Town for one year."

_Kurtz?_

"Because Trip wouldn't open up to us about his family situation, me, Whitlea, Cheren and Bianca ended up taking care of him until I started my journey along with Whitlea and Cheren leaving Bianca to look after him. You could say that Bianca is Trip's surrogate sister. That's why I find it shocking that Trip started his journey before Bianca."

_Why does Kurtz' name keep coming back?_

"I feel bad that I couldn't take him on my journey but I guess me, Whitlea and Cheren were having too much fun being independent that we forgot about them." He noticed that Cilan's skin was turning whiter than usual. "You okay Cilan? You look pale."

"A-About Kurtz…"

"Oh him…well, I didn't know much about Kurtz except him appearing one day and handing us Trip to take care of. When I look back on that event, I felt like he was on the run from something or someone. I mean he's on the missing list during the attack in Nimbasa City. I think Team Plasma was out to kill him for something…"

 _So he still might be alive._ Cilan concluded.  _That means that what Chili and Cress said about killing him with their own hands might be…a lie? Why would they lie to me? Is it because they want to see me kill first? That's not fair! Even if I'm the oldest doesn't mean I have to get my hands dirty at all!_

"Cilan?"

A psychotic smirked appeared on his face as he started to chuckle.

_I see, I'm being tested simply because they suspect me of being able to break away from Ghetsis first. It's because I'm the one that left the gym that they're forcing me to kill my friends because of it…well…if that's what they want…_

"Cilan, what's wrong?" Blair continued to ask in a worried tone. He slowly started to walk toward the Connoisseur.

_It's now or never._

Cilan decided to open the box and grab the dagger. When Blair was close, he tried to thrust the weapon into the other's chest. Luckily for Blair, he noticed that something was fishy and ended up dodging at the last minute.

"Cilan, what the hell-"

If Blair thought one failed attack was it, he was dead wrong. Cilan quickly got up and suddenly lashed out at him with quick attacks trying to pierce his hearts. Suddenly, the training that Blair had at the temple came in handy because he was able to dodge the strikes with relative ease. However, with each strike, Cilan was getting progressively faster. Blair was finding it harder to dodge.

"Cilan, calm down!" Blair tried to break through.

The green haired trainer didn't seem to hear him anymore. It's like the dorky mentally he had was gone in a flash as he gripped the handle of the dagger with both hands and tried to finish him off. Blair rolled to the right to avoid the attack. The dagger ended up getting stuck in the floor but Cilan easily pulled it out.

"Cilan, what is going on?" Blair asked, his voice suddenly rising in panic. He didn't understand why the green haired trainer was freaking out and trying to kill him.

"If I want them to forgive me…you must die…"

"What?"

Cilan tried to cut him again. Blair was slowly being backed into the wall with each attack until he was stuck in the corner. The grass gym leader tried to finish him off there. To his surprise, Blair caught the blade with both hands before it reached his face. The two struggled to push the dagger in the direction they wanted but Blair was winning.

"Cilan, calm yourself." Blair tried to reach him again. "This is not you."

"Not me…you don't know me!" Cilan suddenly snapped. "Nobody knows the real me!"

"W-What?"

"Everyone thinks I'm the nice goofy gym leader…the gym leader that keeps everything in order when I use to work there…the gym leader that was needed to keep the gym going! That's not me! This is the real me!"

 _He lost it._ Blair thought to himself as he realized that by asking the question, Cilan was using his strength trying to stab him. Blair used this opportunity to kick him in the stomach causing Cilan to be pushed back. The dagger landed on the floor. Both trainers reached for it for different reasons. Despite the fact Blair was closer to the dagger, Cilan recovered quickly and grabbed it. It was another struggle to avoid getting killed. Blair was at his limit and he felt like if he didn't fight back, he would really die.

"Cilan, you need to stop! What happens if Iris sees this?"

He was pulling at his heartstrings but this is what he had to do to survive. Cilan flinched for a moment leaving him wide opened. Blair head butted him quickly and got on top of the Sommelier preventing him from escaping.

"I know you're stressed Cilan, but swinging the dagger around aimlessly isn't going to do any good for anyone!" Blair yelled realizing that his voice was at the point that anyone outside of the room could hear him. "Calm down!"

"I won't calm down, you hypocrite!" Cilan spat darkly. "You act like your in control but you're breaking like the rest of us here!"

"!"

"This is the attitude that prevents you from talking to Bianca!" Cilan instantly retaliated, as he broke free from Blair's grip and reverse the position so he was on top of the brunette with the dagger in his hand. "You think you understand how we all feel but you don't! So don't fucking tell me to calm down when you want this shit to end as much as I do!"

"I don't…"

"If you die now…it won't matter. They'll forgive me…so…" He raised his dagger up in the air. "I'm sorry Blair…"

Just when he was about to kill him, there was a loud bang at the door.

"Cilan, Blair you in there?"

That was Iris' voice. Of all people, why did it have to be her?

"Idiot, you better not being something stupid!" Burgundy shouted.

Cilan ended up missing his mark and ended up stabbing Blair in the shoulder causing the brunette to scream. This was enough for Iris to kick down the door. What she and the purple haired Sommelier saw though left them speechless. They didn't believe what they saw.

"C-Cilan…what's going on?" Iris ended up questioning slowly seeing the bloody dagger in Cilan's hand and Blair still screaming in pain.

Cilan had nothing to say. He knew he had two options. Either he killed all witnesses to the murder or flee in shame knowing that the mission was a failure.

Burgundy pointed to Cilan and glared at him. "I told everyone that you were crazy and no one believed me. But now I know I'm right!"

"Burgundy…Iris…" Cilan refused to look at them. Why did they have to witness him in this state of mind?

"C-Cilan…please tell me I'm dreaming…"

Iris sounded like she was about to cry.

 _And it's my fault if she breaks._ Cilan thought as he decided to flee after all. The window was still open so he used his ninja like skills to escape.

"WAIT!" He could hear Burgundy scream.

It didn't matter what they said after that though. Cilan knew he fucked everything up with Team Plasma and his friends.

"COME BACK HERE!"

Cilan's eyes widened in horror when he realized that Iris jumped out of the window and started chasing after him.

"Shit…out of all the people, why does it have to be you?" He asked himself as he rushed back to the forest.

"CILAN! PLEASE WAIT!"

Iris may have been raised in the wild, but she wasn't good at navigating a forest in the dark without any of her Pokémon. Cilan used this to his advantage to trick her and hide in a nearby bush, and just waited for her to leave.

"CILAN! IF YOU'RE HERE, PLEASE ANSWER ME! CILAN!"

_Go away Iris…please…_

He could hear her sniffling as she continued to search in the clearing. "Cilan…please tell me this is all a joke or a nightmare or anything. I can't…"

"Iris!"

He noticed that Georgia of all people chased after her.

"Iris, you can't do anything about him now! We have bigger problems!"

"What could be a bigger problem than Cilan trying to kill someone?" Iris questioned ready to let it all out.

Georgia didn't know what she was supposed to do when it came to comforting her rival at this moment. However, there really were bigger problems.

"…Trip's gone. We can't find him anywhere."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 6109 words. Notes…
> 
> 1\. So Trip's mom Maddalen finally makes a brief appearance. I'm trying to show what type of person Maddalen is in this one short scene at the beginning. And I'll be honest, you could call her a whore and I would probably agree with you, but as Trip mentioned at the beginning of the story: Maddalen is a famous model/actor/singer (yes, you can be all three!) and her fans come off as delusional, but again, she's an assassin, so she'll use that to her advantage. And if you didn't notice, Stephan is one of her fans by how he defended her almost instantly.
> 
> 2\. Again, Est knows Trip's family very well. She didn't mean it when she said Maddalen was skank. Est has a grudge against her that might get referenced later.
> 
> 3\. You thought you were going to get an Ash/Trip moment in this scene? Nope, can't let you do that. The first kiss they share isn't lovey-dovey like you would want it. Ash kissed him to try to calm him down, and the kiss only made things worse because as shown in that dreadful chapter, Trip gave up after his uncle violated him. So Ash was opening a wound that he shouldn't have had, but really, Ash would do something like this since how would you calm someone that's having a mental breakdown?
> 
> 4\. Stephan is not only a Cilan/Burgundy shipper now but also an Ash/Trip shipper. He thinks that Ash and Trip did you know what and you can probably expect that he got a boner from the misunderstanding. Ash wouldn't catch that though since he's still oblivious to anything sexual.
> 
> 5\. So now you know Blair and Whitlea are on the list of trainers to kill by Ghetsis. He knows that they're the ones that will change his son N, so he's trying to do something about it.
> 
> 6\. Blair's story about taking care of Trip would make sense if it weren't from an outsider's point of view. To understand the full situation, you would need to learn from Kurtz, but no one knows where he is now. Kurtz was supposedly killed in the prologue according to the Shadow Triad but Trip insists to Est that Kurtz is still alive. With no body found and Blair's information, it's unlikely that Kurtz is dead, and Cilan realizes this and is starting to go crazy.
> 
> 7\. Cilan's relationship with Kurtz is very complicated. He's just the character mentioned repeatedly without ever appearing. Kurtz is the one that sees through Cilan's façade and questions his loyalty and Cilan sees Kurtz as an unfortunate person as a result as bad things start happening after his encounter. From Twins of Evil story though, Trip implies that he takes care of those psycho twins Tio and Tiana. This leads to another thing…
> 
> 8\. Cilan freaking out when he's talking to Blair is because he thinks that his brothers are lying to him about killing Kurtz. They told him that Kurtz died by their hands so they have blood on their hands now. However, if Kurtz is still alive like Blair is implying, then they haven't killed him because they couldn't do it and won't until Cilan kills first. They insist that they used the bomb to blow the stadium in Nimbasa City up but what happens if they were lying about that too and it was Ghetsis that set the bomb up and the Shadow Triad are taking the fall for him? Thinking that his brothers are betraying his trust and taking advantage of his fragile mind, he just snaps.


	16. Say the Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going down hill for the group. Trip is missing, Cilan has apparently gone crazy and Blair has had enough of the drama that goes on in the group. They can finally cross the drawbridge and only Blair does because he needs to get away from everything leaving a distraught group behind that can't function without a rational member. Who will step up to the plate and guide the group in the right direction?

The group was forced to stay up all night because of the chaos that had befallen them. Ash was never going to forgive himself for taking his eyes off of Trip just so he could do a few things including using the restroom, eating a snack and checking on his Pokémon. If he just waited to do that another day, then they wouldn't be freaking out over the missing patient.

Est wasn't making anything easier for him. In fact, she placed all the blame on him simply because he was in charge of Trip from a time that she never stated before. It was pissing Ash off greatly. He wanted to punch something just to let out some stream.

And things got worse when Luke told him that Cilan apparently stabbed Blair and ran off somewhere. What the hell was going on with his friends? Were they really this unstable or were they all just stressed?

"Pika pi?"

Ash glanced at Pikachu and Eevee with a scowl on his face. He sighed. "Sorry Pikachu, I'm not in the mood."

"Pika…"

"Eevee…"

They were all in the meeting room at the entrance of the Pokémon Center again. Audino was treating Blair's injury. Lucky for him, it wasn't serious but while his wound wasn't bad, his mental state was another story. The group observed that Blair was in a state of shock when he was stabbed. It was only natural to be stunned when your friend suddenly comes at you with a dagger with the full intent on killing you. Iris was still crying and no one was doing any cheering up. Nothing her Axew said seemed to get through to her, and with the direr situation of the photographer going missing…

"We have to go find him." Ash stated the obvious.

"We can't, we don't have any leads." Michael warned him.

Ash instantly stood up in his chair knocking it over. "I don't care what you say? Trip is gone and it's my responsibility to bring him back!"

"And going around in the middle of the night with no leads isn't going to do anything!" Michael retorted. "If you did your job in watching him then you wouldn't be so stressed!"

"WHAT?"

Stephan tried to calm Ash down but the Kanto trainer was too angry to think straight. Bianca turned to Blair hoping he would break up the fight like he always did, but he didn't. When the Audino finished treating his injury, it went back into the infirmary to get more towels to wipe the blood off his shoulder.

"All I'm saying is that it's too late to do anything now, and in your condition, you wouldn't be doing us any good. You haven't slept well recently and you need your rest."

"He has a point Ash." Stephan added. "You haven't eaten or slept in days. Heck, you rarely come out of that room."

"It hasn't even been that long..." Ash mumbled. "I promised I wouldn't leave his side…and then…"

"It's not your fault." Luke tried to encourage the Kanto trainer. "You really needed to get out of that room."

"Actually, it is his fault." Est spat. "If he just waited for someone to take his shift, then Trip wouldn't have had gone missing!"

Oh Est was trying to rile Ash up and the group knew it. Ash was already glaring daggers at the little witch as she continued to rant.

"Why couldn't you stay there for five more minutes? I would have taken your spot by then!"

"That's what you said a couple of hours ago!" Ash shouted, "And you never came back!"

Est's Zorua hid under his trainer's hat as she started fighting back. "I had important phone calls to make! Adults have important things to do too!"

"More important than checking up on the nephew of the family you're suppose to be protecting?"

He hit a nerve because it was her turn to continue staring him down.

"Outsiders like you wouldn't understand." She said simply.

"What?"

"Because of your ignorance, I lost him again…dammit…"

"Ms. Est, I don't think you should just blame." Luke began. "I think-"

"Stay out of this kid! You don't even know what the fuck is going on!"

"!"

"Now that's just harsh." Stephan started realizing that she was going to drag everyone down to her immature level. "You don't have to yell at everyone."

"I can yell if I want! Dammit, you kids don't understand what's going on! Dammit, why isn't Ilyana here to take me back! I want to go back!"

"Can you shut the hell up?"

Everyone suddenly froze at the voice. It was coming from Blair of all people.

"Some of us are tired here and you keep us up all night to tell us that Trip is missing?" He slowly started to stand up even though Bianca warned him not to. "We know that and we'll handle the situation when we all rest up! Instead, you go around putting the blame on anyone instead of thinking of something constructive to do!"

The little witch was intimidated by the look Blair gave. It reminded her of Rhia…Trip's scary grandmother. "I…"

Blair walk toward her. "You're supposed to be the adult around here yet you're acting like a spoiled brat! Instead of yelling at Ash whose doing all the fucking work taking care of Trip, why don't you do something like call his relatives instead of bitching about how they don't care about him! This situation is different so they might actually lend an ear instead of turning away like you said earlier on today!"

"Blair…" Bianca whispered his name hoping he would hear the fear that was beginning to rise in her voice.

Est was stupid to pick a fight with Blair. The brunette was rarely angered and to continue to push his buttons was asking for trouble. "What about you? You knew about the situation beforehand and let it happen! Don't yell at me about not lending a helping hand when you didn't do shit!"

Blair knew she was right. He confessed to Cilan that it was going to happen and if he knew it was going to happen, and then he could have stopped it. He was just too lazy to do anything about it. He knew this, yet he couldn't help trying to lash out at her. Georgia and Michael notice the hate burning from his eyes and instantly got up and grabbed his arms preventing him from lashing out at her.

"I may have known about it but I tried my best dammit!" Blair cursed at her. "If I wasn't injured from a psychopath then your face would be pummeled right now!"

"BLAIR!" Bianca literally shouted. Calling Cilan a psychopath was not a good idea at all because Iris started to cry even louder.

"We all have our fucking problems, so don't go around thinking that you're the only one suffering dammit! We're all suffering and we don't need you to make it worse!"

"You brat…"

"And you're a bitch!" Blair retorted without skipping a beat. "Has anyone ever told you to grow up because you may be twenty but in my eyes, you're the bratty ten year old that needs mommy to hold your hand!"

"How dare you!"

"Stop…"

Ash made the situation worse too by joining in on the fight. "Don't call Cilan a psychopath Blair! He's not like that?"

"Oh really? He told me that you or anyone doesn't know the real him and you take him for granite. If you ask me, he was ready to kill all of you when you were all asleep and I just happened to be the first on his list!"

"Stop…"

"Blair, stop it now! You're not helping!" Bianca cried out.

"I'm not helping? Why didn't you tell me that sooner? I would have fucking crossed the bridge when I had the chance, but no! I'm stuck with a bunch of people that can't take care of themselves and have to come to me for support! Who do you think I am?"

"Blair, don't you dare yell at Bianca!" Luke yelled finally fed up with how the brunette was acting.

"Blair stop…"

"Stay out of this!"

"Yeah, like what I say! And before you say that Trip isn't important, your wound isn't even fatal! You're just butt hurt about needing two girls to rescue you!"

"So you're saying that me almost dying tonight isn't as important as a suicidal kid that wants to end his life."

"TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT TRIP!"

"STOP!"

The group turned to Iris who literally woke up everyone in the Pokémon Center. She was at her breaking point; the tears from her eyes wouldn't stop falling.

"Why is everyone fighting? We're supposed to sit down and think about a plan…not fight like a bunch of little kids." She stared at group with a melancholic expression. To a broader audience though, her eyes didn't have any color…they were broken like her heart. "Why are you guys weighing whose life is more important? Cilan…Trip…they're both important friends to me yet you speak like one of them is trash compared to the other. Is this what it really boils down to?"

"Iris…" Georgia called out as she released her grip on Blair.

"We have to save them both…yet…you make it seem like only one of them can be saved…if that's the case then I…I…"

The group realized they went too far as she started to sob harder. Georgia of all people ended up being the one to comfort her rival. Blair refused to make eye contact with Bianca. He really snapped and there was no way he could take back anything he said.

"I'm going to bed…" Was all Blair said as he slowly walked away from the group. He didn't need anyone helping him up the stairs to the guest room but no one was going to follow him with the way he was acting.

Bianca called his name but Burgundy insisted that they let him be. The blonde looked ready to shed some more tears but Iris was already doing that, so she had to be strong…but she was failing miserably.

In the end, the group really couldn't think of anything when they were all tired so they ended up going to bed. It ended up being a sleepless night though for half of them due to the words that were let out cutting their hearts like a razor.

* * *

Trip felt his heart stop when someone that was part of Cipher came to the window and ordered him to go with them. If he didn't then Cipher would kill all of his friends and Pokémon. Trip didn't want that and ended up leaving without telling anyone.

Going back to the mansion was hell but luckily, Cipher had a truck that allowed them to get away without anyone noticing.

It only took one hour to get back to the mansion and Trip already wanted to go back into Ash's arms. He wanted to feel his warm embrace as well as the warm touch of his lips. Even if he didn't return the kiss, he wanted another one to assure him that Ash wasn't playing with him like everyone else in his life was.

"Thanks Lovrina. I owe you one." He heard his uncle's voice as he led the two into the mansion.

"Tee, it was like totally nothing~ I would do like anything for you~" Lovrina teased.

Bane grinned as he whispered something in her ear. The girl cheered as she left to do something in another part of the mansion. When she was gone though, the happy go lucky expression was gone and replaced with one of anger.

"Where did you go?" He asked darkly. "I thought I told you to stay put!"

The young photographer instantly panicked and instantly got on his knees and apologized over and over again.

"I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I was returning the badge cases that belonged to my friends…"

"Huh?"

"Badge cases…"

He was losing his voice. Well, it should have been obvious after he had just finished crying when he was with Ash.

"Oh, so you gave it to them so they won't come back here?"

"Y-Yes…I made sure that there would be no reason to come back." He looked at his uncle in pleading eyes. "P-Please I beg of you! Don't hurt my Pokémon! I really was thinking of you when I returned the badge cases! Please don't send them away! I-I won't leave this mansion ever again! I'll do whatever you say!"

Bane continued to smirk evilly as he looked down on his nephew. "How do I know you're not lying so you can get off with a light punishment?"

"I…I…"

He was trembling in fear now. What would happen if he couldn't convince his uncle to spare his Pokémon?

"Please…I'll do anything…and I won't complain again…"

His uncle was really wondering if he would do anything for him. "Follow me."

Trip slowly followed his uncle up the stairs and into one of the guest's room. At first the dirty blonde didn't pay attention to which room it was until they got inside. His eyes widened in horror as he realized this was Ash's room…the one he used to escape.

His uncle chuckled as he shut the door behind him and locked it. "I see you like this room more than the other ones. Is it because of that kid that was sleeping here?"

"N-No…it's not…"

He gave his nephew the evil eve. "You're in love with that kid aren't you?"

Trip shook his head in denial. "No I'm not!"

"Liar, I know you went to deliver their items so you could see him again. You probably wanted him to fuck you, so you can forget about me."

"No!"

"Well, it's not going to work. I'm going to make sure your image of him is tainted."

Trip yelped as he was pushed onto the bed. Ash's scent was coming back to him but it was already being combined with his uncle's horrible odor.

"You said you'll do anything for me right?" Bane questioned making sure his nephew was still obedient.

"I…I said I will be…if you don't hurt my Pokémon…or my friends…" He refused to make eye contact with this evil bastard refusing to see his expression of triumph. "J-Just promise me that you'll keep them out of this…I'm the only one you want so…"

The young trainer flinched when he felt a cold hand reach the back of his head rubbing it gently. These kind gestures disgusted him greatly.

"Alright, you have a deal and I don't go back on my deal."

Trip seriously doubted that.

"Just do whatever I tell you to do and they'll be fine. I'll even let you see your Pokémon when they're done."

That was something to look forward to. He needed to apologize for his weakness after all.

"So strip now."

He paused realizing that his uncle was going to force him to have sex on the bed that Ash slept in just to spite him…so cruel…

The gray orbed trainer obeyed without hesitation and quickly unbuttoned his shirt and removing his pants. When he got to his boxers though, he stopped temporary before shutting his eyes tight and pulling them down. He heard his uncle make a disturbing noise like this was turning him on.

"That's a good boy. Your father raised you well." He mocked.

Trip didn't retaliate as he slowly waited for his next order.

"Open your mouth."

"!"

The young trainer slowly opened his mouth and was greeted by a greedy tongue invading his mouth.

"Mmmph!"

His uncle forced him to lie down as Bane explored the inside of his nephew's mouth. Trip didn't know what to do but just freeze up and let his uncle do the work. He moaned into the French kiss when he felt his uncle bite the bottom of his lip.

_Ash…_

His back jolted back feeling his uncle's hand traveling down his body and going straight to his groin.

_Ash…_

"Already hard again? You're such a slut, you freak."

Bane gave the kid a few strokes causing him to moan rather loudly. He growled. "Thinking about lover boy aren't you?"

"! N-No…ahh!"

"Just imagine this hand belonging to him instead of me. Can't you see it? He's glancing at your beautiful body. He's trailing his small hands across your stomach."

"Stop it…"

"His fingers decide to play with your nipples like this." Bane continued as he started to pull at them. Trip's moans were getting louder as his shuddering became more apparent. "He wants to give them a taste but you obviously don't want that."

"Nooo…"

"So he goes lower…asks you to spread your legs so he can just thrust inside with no hesitation. He's confident in his abilities."

Trip closed his eyes shut knowing full well that the imagery will appear in his head. Why did his uncle have to play mind games with him? He wanted to do this with some dignity at least.

"Ple…ase…ahhhhhh…"

"Because of his partner's moaning, he decides to take it slow. He sticks one finger in the hole like this…"

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"And then he inserts another finger and does a scissor like motion."

"Stop…no more…ahhhhh…"

"His partner takes it in like the slut he is, so he inserts a third finger in. He then hits his sweet spot."

Bane does hit the sweet spot causing the young photographer to shriek. Bane continued to tease his nephew by hitting it a few more times.

"His partner wants him to stop teasing him so he begs him for his big, juicy dick to be inserted in that small hole."

Trip didn't want to continue role-playing. He was already at his limits imaging Ash fucking him instead of his uncle. He knew he would have to obey though so he weakly changed his position so he was on his stomach. With one hand, he rested against the bed and the other was used to stretch his hole out farther.

"P-P-Please Bane…please…f-f-f-f-uck me…"

Bane shook his head in annoyance. "Your partner can't hear you!"

Trip started to sob to himself as he repeated what he said. "PLEASE FUCK ME!"

Bane still didn't think it was enough. "Be more descriptive. I don't know where to fuck you."

"Please…Bane…fuck me in my little asshole…with your big…dick…"

He really couldn't do it and his uncle knew that. The more he forced him to repeat the same phrase so everyone could hear it, the more it broke his mind. Bane would need to continue to train him but he thought this was good enough.

"You need to raise your voice. I know you're louder than that." He insulted. "Especially when I thrust into you like this!"

Without warning, he inserted his cock inside the young trainer and began thrusting. Trip was losing his mind and noises ended up escaping his lips. These noises are what his uncle wanted to hear and no matter what Trip did to hold back, he was already at his limits physically and mentally.

His uncle came much faster than expected but that was because he was enjoying torturing his nephew to the point that it made him hard. He pulled out almost instantly leaving the young boy in a sobbing wreck.

"I'll be back in five minutes. I have some work I need to do." Bane said with a laugh as he slowly zipped his pants, got off the bed and left the room.

Trip would use the next five minutes covered in many fluids. However, he didn't care. He was letting his lust take over and it was killing him on the inside. If he just ended his life, he wouldn't have to suffer anymore but Ash wouldn't let him. Ash still had hope for him even if he was in this ruined state.

"Ash…please…save me…" He cried softly as his sobs got louder to the point where people on the other side of the door could hear it…and that's what Bane wanted because to him, his cries were music to his ears.

* * *

Cilan already hid himself in the forest when he heard the news. The green haired trainer saw a truck driving back toward the mansion at top speed. How Iris could miss that is against him, but that wasn't what was important at the moment. He needed to figure out an excuse on why he failed to kill his target.

"You failed."

Cress and Chili were behind him already. Cilan closed his eyes as he let out a huge sigh. "I'm sorry…"

"You try telling that to Master Ghetsis." Cress responded darkly. "He is here with the Seven Sages."

"!"

The two forced Cilan to walk a little more up the road until they reached a clearing. In the clearing, three sages were lined up on each side creating a path to their leader…Ghetsis Harmonia. He gave a menacing stare to the Shadow Triad as Chili and Cress bowed to his greatness.

"M-Master Ghetsis."

"You have failed me Cilan."

"I…I…I almost had him but…"

"What are you going to do about it?"

He didn't realize how much he was shaking until now. Cilan was never on Ghetsis' bad side until now. Anyone who failed him would be casted away. Now he was going to…

"I…"

"Master Ghetsis, please spare him!" Chili suddenly pleaded.

"Chili!"

"I know he's been screwing up recently, but he's been your loyal servant all of this time! Please don't kill him!"

The grass gym leader didn't expect the fire gym leader to stand up for him at a time like this. He may have been loud about his opinion but never in front of Ghetsis.

"Chili…"

"With all due respect Master Ghetsis, I agree that he may have failed the missions you assigned him now, but if you give him one more chance, I'm sure he'll redeem himself." Cress decided to add realizing that he didn't want to be the heartless one of the group.

"Cress…"

The six sages began mumbling to themselves about what they should do with the incompetent member of the Shadow Triad. Ghetsis continued to stare hard at them. Cilan wondered if he was going to get out of this.

"…On two conditions."

"! W-What are they Master Ghetsis?"

"You should already know the first one." Ghetsis told him. "Get rid of Cipher in this region. Their Shadow Pokémon cannot be used. If the cops find out, they'll be dispatching their units to Orre."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Chili questioned. "If the cops turn their attention to Cipher, wouldn't we have more chances of succeeding?"

"Chili, in order for our plan to work, we need as many people possible witnessing N be crowned champion of the Unova region. With fewer police here, we can't get that much attention."

"…I can do that…" Cilan muttered to himself more than Ghetsis. "And what is the other job?"

Ghetsis smiled at him evilly. Cilan refused to look into the man's eye when he gave the second suggestion.

"Satisfy me."

* * *

Things went from bad to worse in the morning. By the time Ash got up, everyone was already panicking and cursing again and for a different reason.

Blair just up and ditched them. He left a note saying that they could cross the drawbridge now and that he wasted his time staying in one area too long. He wished them the best of luck.

This actually caused Bianca to snap of all people. When the note was read, she snatched the piece of paper from Michael and tore it to shreds. You would expect someone like Burgundy to do that, but this was a dire situation.

Technically speaking, the voice of the group was gone and no one knew what to do. Georgia tried to calm Bianca down from her tantrum but Luke wasn't helping with him upset that Blair of all people would leave at a critical moment. Est declared that he was a coward after all. Ash thought that Blair did the smartest thing in leaving. He left because his journey was being interrupted by something like this. Blair acted like they didn't mean a thing to him. He just hoped that Blair would come back.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Ash asked the group in the midst of their argument.

"What do you think? We got look for Trip!" Est shouted.

"No, we need to search for Cilan!" Iris argued. "I'm really worried about his mental state!"

"Oh, you're worried about the guy that tried to kill the idiot? How about the kid that got-"

"Don't start Est!" Georgia yelled. "You're starting to piss me off!"

"Back off dragon bitch!"

"What did you little bitch!"

"Don't call me little and be creative with your word choice!"

"Knock it off guys!" Ash tried to get in between the girls but their venomous glare reached him as he ended up fighting too.

The Pokémon could only watch as their trainers fought over what they should do. Where was Nurse Joy when you need her? Pikachu looked ready to electrocute them all just so they would snap out of it. However…

"EVERYONE, BE QUIET FOR A SECOND!"

Of all people to step up to the plate, it would be Burgundy. She glanced at the group disappointed with how they were acting.

"Didn't you guys listen to what Iris said yesterday? We should put our heads together and think of a plan instead of accusing one another of what conspired." She crossed her arms as she shook her head, gaining more confidence with each word she said. "As a Connoisseur, I would like you to look here at what I have."

She showed a cellphone to the group. Ash instantly recognized it as Trip's.

"That's!"

"I went searching around last night and I found this outside the room Trip was in. I'm certain he was taken away by force by someone and dropped it."

"No! Trip might have…"

"Exactly, I think you and Ash know where Trip went."

"…Back to the mansion."

"Exactly." She smirked as she tossed the phone over to Ash for keepsakes. "And then I found out more things from my investigation."

Iris frowned. She thought Burgundy was going to say that she was a Detective Connoisseur but no such thing came from her mouth. She forced the group to walk outside the Pokémon Center to show them what she found. She pointed to the ground in front of them causing them to gasp at what they saw.

"Tire tracks?"

"Exactement! Now think, it was so dark outside that we didn't notice that there was a truck outside that came and took Trip away. We were too busy either trying to go to sleep or witnessing something we shouldn't have had to notice that this kidnapping was happening right under our noses. And why were we distracted you might ask?"

"…Cilan…" Iris ended up whispering his name and Burgundy caught it with her good ears.

"Correcte! We were so distracted with that idiot trying to take the life of another idiot that we didn't notice that the truck drove away. I bet that Cilan might have seen it when he was fleeing though."

She held out the dagger that was left in the room after the Audino forced it out of the brunette. It was still covered in blood making it hard to look at. "This dagger here…I think Cilan might have gotten it from those people who kidnapped Trip."

"W-What?"

"Cilan isn't a traitor!" Iris defended instantly.

"He might as well be. Unless he confesses why the hell he had such a dangerous weapon then I don't know what to say. Also, that box he got it from, the box had a weird simple on it, but I don't know what it represents."

"Can you describe the sigma?" Luke asked. "I might be able to decipher it."

"If you ask me, it looked like something from Team Plasma but at the same time…it had a distinct flavor to it…making it…anomalous."

"That's not going to help much then…"

"Nope, that's why we have to think outside the box."

"Outside…"

"The box…"

"Who would send that idiot something like this and why?"

Burgundy knew she wouldn't get an answer from anyone. They were all stumped to why Cilan attacked Blair. Stress didn't seem to be the answer because that applied to all of them unless there was something going on with the grass gym leader that everyone failed to notice.

"That's something we probably won't figure out until we drag that idiot back here, but I think we all know what's important."

"We need to find Trip!" Ash declared.

Burgundy nodded her head. Everyone, even Iris agreed with Ash because even know Cilan was equally unstable at the moment, Trip was more vulnerable.

"Est, do us all a favor and call Officer Jenny."

"? What can the police do? They're all useless!"

"Just stop complaining and do it!" The purple haired teen shouted back instantly. "If you care about Trip, you'll do as I say! I know what I'm doing!"

"…"

The little witch had no choice but to obey as she dialed the police number.

"Burgundy, what do you plan on doing?" Bianca asked.

"We're going to have to be slick if we want to save Trip." Burgundy told her. "And I know just how to do it."

The group glanced at each other with a worried expression. They wondered if Burgundy knew what she was doing.

* * *

Shortly after Est made the call, Officer Jenny appeared on her motorbike with Herdier by her side. It became apparent that Trip's abuse had to be known by the police before anything can be done. Est didn't want to say anything about the injuries related to his family reasons. In the end, Burgundy gave a brief description about the person that Trip was living with and how his uncle was abusing him thus he left on his journey to become a Pokémon trainer only to be forced back because his uncle might be threatening him. Burgundy might not have known all the details that went on in the mansion, but it was clear to Jenny that Trip's uncle needed to be arrested and lose custody over the kid.

This meant that Child Service had to be involved. However, Est quickly told the group that Child Service would not help Trip out due to a past experience with them.

"You see…someone called Child Service on Maddalen four years ago…" The little witch began, "…and Maddalen didn't take it well at all. She snapped at Child Service for assuming that Trip was being beaten by her and shortly after that…she walked out on her family."

"Cruel…" Luke muttered.

"It was depressing, but I won't forgive the person who ruined Trip's happiness…but because of this incident, if Trip were to call Child Service, they would not lift a finger in fear that the Mephisto family will come and kill them like Maddalen threatened originally."

"Then what should we do?" Ash questioned starting to panic.

"Don't worry; I'll fill the role as Child Service. He won't know that I'm just a cute little Connoisseur that wants justice to be served."

"…Cute?" Stephan ended up blurting out resulting in the purple haired trainer punching him in the gut. "Urgh…"

"YES, I'M CUTE! GOT A PROBLEM?"

"N-No…oww…"

"Just give me the phone number to the mansion and I'll do the talking."

"Are you sure about this?" Georgia asked. "You're the not the calmest person here."

"Well, I'm the only one here that can do it! Blair and that idiot aren't here to do it and even if they were, I'm pretty sure Trip's uncle would recognize their voices."

The group had no choice but rely on Burgundy to call Bane. Ash was worried she would screw up though due to her hot blooded nature.

Est gave the number of the mansion to Burgundy and she slowly dialed the number. Her hands were visibly shaking and her heart was beating off the scale. She was already panicking before the phone started to ring. The group stayed close to her but had to make sure that they were quiet to make sure Bane didn't hear them on the other line.

"What do you want?"

Already she wanted to hang up and just forget the plan she started but…

"Sorry to disturb you but this is the Driftveil Child Counseling Center speaking-"

She was interrupted by a large grumble of disproval. "What do you want? First you call on my brother's ex wife, then you call on my brother and now you're going to call me? What's with you people?"

He was loud enough to be heard by people five feet from the phone. Est frowned knowing what Bane was talking about. A false accusation on the first two calls and a third one is just asking for trouble. This was too risky…

"S-Sorry but…concerning your nephew Trip…"

"It's family business and you people have no right to interfere! Don't want to go missing like the first time it happened!"

"What first time?" Ash had to ask Est who was sweating buckets.

"…Let's just say that the person who was stupid enough to visit Maddalen the first time wasn't seen again…"

"S-Still, from our information, we know that your nephew is on a Pokémon journey and it feels odd that he's suddenly kept at the mansion preventing him from continuing."

"So what? He has some errands to do here." Bane grumbled over the phone. "He'll start his journey again when he's done."

A bastard like you will make sure he'll never finish though. Burgundy thought to herself as she gripped the phone tightly. "Just to make sure, put Trip on the phone."

"I already told you what he's doing and he doesn't need to-"

"Now you listen to me mister!" Burgundy suddenly snapped making everyone panic instantly. "You keep that attitude up and we'll seriously go over there and barge right in like the last two times. We may not have taken Trip the first two times but if you don't allow Trip to confirm that he's not being abused by you then we're going to…"

"Burgundy!" Georgia ended up shouting.

The purple haired trainer realized she said too much and started to trail off. However, there was a pause on the other side of the phone. Did he hang up? Is he trying to figure out who this person is and why she was threatening him? Was she totally unaware what she was getting herself into?

"I'll say this one more time, put Trip on the phone."

"Alright."

_Ehh?_

"Fine, you want to talk to him? Let her rip. I'm not stopping you. He'll tell you the same thing he said the last two times."

Burgundy perked up realizing that she might be getting somewhere. When Bane got off the phone to yell for Trip, she turned to the group and gave thumbs up. The group silently cheered to themselves realizing that the first stage was done. Now the only thing they had to do was convince Trip to tell them the truth and get help.

"…Yes?"

It was indeed Trip on the other line. Instantly, Burgundy noticed that his voice was rather raspy…almost like he was having difficulty breathing.

"…Trip…it's me…Burgundy…"

"!"

"Trip listen to me, you have to tell me if everything is alright over there. Actually, we already know everything is not okay over there. We have to hear you say it though. Has anything happened recently?"

There was a long pause on the other line. Burgundy could tell that Bane was nearby and probably telling him what to say and what not to say.

"N-No…he just brought me back to the mansion last night…he said he was worried about me leaving without telling him…so…"

"That's a bunch of bullshit…" Est muttered under her breath, "But at least we know he was the one that kidnapped Trip."

"Is that so…" Burgundy realized that Est was going to talk some sense into him. Sighing she told Trip to hold as she past the phone to Est hoping she would be able to convince him to confess.

"Trip, you okay?"

"…Est? Why are you…"

"Trip, it's okay. We got everything settled."

"W-What?"

"We talked to the police about your situation. I'm not referring to your father's division though. We're talking about the Nimbasa police division. They're not aware of what happened in Driftveil, so you don't have to worry about your father finding out and hauling your ass back home."

"…"

"We talked to Child Service and told them the truth of all three situations. If you tell them that you're in danger, we'll go over there and save you."

"…"

Est paused when she realized that simply telling him that they knew the truth was enough. She had to go deeper. "Trip…I know you don't like asking for help because you're a member of the Mephisto family. I know that just having that as your last name has made life difficult for you. That old hag treated you like shit, your mother taking after the old hag because she had no way of dealing with the stress, your father letting your mother abuse you and then taking his anger out on you when she left…losing Amanda and all of those close to Amanda turning there back on you because of that accident that made it seem like Maddalen was the culprit…"

"Stop it!"

"!"

"Don't mention that shit Est…I don't care about that anymore…I'm my own person…I'm not part of the Mephisto family…"

"Trip…what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to worry about that anymore. You have friends that are willing to help you. All you have to do is say the word."

"…"

Est had nothing else to say to him. She turned to Ash giving him the final nod before handing him the phone.

"Trip."

"! Ash?"

"What Est said is true. You have your friends here to help you out of this mess."

"…I don't believe it."

Ash wanted to agree with him. The two people he looked up to were gone at the most important time. However…

"I don't believe it either…however…they made me realize that even if we all don't get along and we screw up as a result of conflict, we'll figure something out in the end. That's how it is for all trainers and their Pokémon… though, but you should know that better than anyone here."

"!"

"Your Pokémon love you dearly Trip. We all know that. I don't know what your uncle is doing to them now, but submitting to him isn't going to solve anything."

"…You don't understand Ash…" Trip started. His voice was on the verge of breaking down. "If I don't obey him…he'll kill them…I can't bare to watch another one of my friends die again when I know I could have done something for them…"

"But they wouldn't want you to turn your back on what you believe in, do they?"

"No…but…"

"Then listen to me Trip…you just have to say the word. We have our hands held out for you so…" Ash paused before asking the obvious. "He's behind you, is he?"

"…Yes…"

His options were limited. If he couldn't convince Trip to say those simple words and reach out to the group, then he was as good as dead.

"Trip…can I ask you something else?"

"?"

"Why are you constantly taking his beatings? Est told me that your father did the same thing to you after your mom left. Why don't you fight back? You have the strength to do so because you have the Mephisto blood in you."

"I…am not…"

"You may not be a part of the family in their eyes but you have the same aura according to Est. This aura can be used to fight back attackers physically, yet you never use it."

The Kanto trainer could hear Trip breathing heavily now. What was his uncle doing to him on the other side? He better not be…

"I did use it…I regret using it though Ash."

"Why? Why are you?"

"I'm a murderer Ash."

"!"

"I lied to you when I said I didn't kill those people in that hidden room. I said that because I didn't want anyone to know that I stained my hands with blood. I didn't want anyone to know that I killed them in cold blood and that I enjoyed every minute of it…when I killed them, I really was part of the Mephisto family…"

"…"

"I'm dealing with this pain because I have to Ash. This is the only way to atone for murder even if they deserve it because in the end, I'm no different from that old hag or my mother…"

"…"

"Are you still going to tell me to call for help Ash after I told you that I was lying back then to save my hind? I don't need it. I already made my decision and I'm going to stick to it."

"If you already made your decision…then why do you sound like you're ready to cry?"

Trip didn't realize that the tears were falling. It should have been obvious why he was crying though. He was rejecting the only help that he would never get again because he was being stubborn for his own good. He was making all of these excuses to not accept help and he gave his final reason by confessing his crimes. His uncle was smirking behind him proud that he admitted that he was killer to his friend.

"I'm…I'm not…"

"Trip, please…I want to help you, but we can't do anything if you don't take the next step forward."

"Ash…"

"I know I'm an idiot. I screw up on everything I do. But no matter what I do, I keep going because I know in the end; I know it's worth it. However, there are some things that are out of my reach and no matter how much I run, I'll never be able to grab it. Even if someone tells me it's impossible, I'll keep trying because impossible isn't in my vocabulary."

"Ash…I…"

"Trip…I'm begging you…don't give up…because you'll regret it in the end…"

Ash felt tears welling up in his eyes. He pulled his cap down so no one would see him break down while on the phone. However, they might as well been berserker tears because he could hear Bane telling his nephew to hurry up with the phone because he wasn't finished with his task.

"Ash…I don't know what to do…I'm scared…I'm really…"

Ash was silent. To everyone else around him, he looked ready to give up but on the contrary, it was the opposite.

_Trip, don't you realize that you're the person I can't reach out to? I have convinced many people in the past to learn to trust…but you won't open up to me or anyone else no matter what we do. We want to help you Trip. We want to melt the glacier inside of you so you'll come to us when you're upset. We care about you Trip. We love you…I…_

"Trip…turn around and look at the man behind you."

"!"

"Get a good look at that hideous face and think back to a time when you were younger. You make it seem like there was nothing good in your past, but I'm certain there was a time when things weren't painful."

Trip closed his eyes and remembered the time as a kid. When he was born, his mother would beat him up for saying thing she didn't want to hear or be reminded of. He was berated for not meeting her expectations and she didn't want him around in general. His father would hug him after getting his hair pulled and slapped multiple times. Of course, his father was a hypocrite so despite hugging him telling the dirty blonde that everything would be okay, the beatings would continue.

However, when he was out of the house, he had friends. He had Amanda and her friends Linda, Porter and Kurtz. He had three girls that were a little older than him…Paige, Tio and Tiana. They played with him despite knowing his family situation. He had Est and Ilyana who would visit him sometimes making his home life a little more bearable.

He met Alder and that was the highlight of his life when he told Trip to become stronger so one day he would battle him. Of course that was later shattered of course upon finding out that Alder didn't remember him but that was still something that he looked forward to in his life.

He had Amanda and loved her as a sister. She was the one that shielded him from the negatives in his life. She would stand up to Maddalen when she went too far in her abuse and calling her out for being a terrible parent. Maybe that was why she ended up getting killed in that Bouffalant stampede.

After Amanda died though, he lost all of his friends because they all accused him for being the real reason why Amanda died…because she stepped in to save him…and Trip didn't think that was necessary when he looked back on it. He always thought that dying right there would have been better than living.

But his family life got better when Amanda died. It was ironic that the death of one of his friends and the realization that he could have died made Maddalen realize how much of a bitch she was…

And for one year…they were a normal happy family. He always blocked that out of his mind because he didn't want to recall that his family was capable of being normal. No family name to tie you down, not caring about the people around you…his parents standing up for him…that made him feel warm inside; for a while, he thought he had a chance to be accepted by the Mephisto family because for that one year, that old hag accepted him because Maddalen was willing to put up with him.

Then child service was called and sent his life spiraling downwards. His mother snapped and shortly after the call, she left the family and his dad snapped.

It was then did Trip realize that the world was a cruel place. No friends, no family to support you especially when it came to becoming a Pokémon trainer…nothing. Only Kurtz was there to help him. He would be his sanctuary if his father decided to attack him or worse, send him to his uncle where he got worse abuse. Kurtz kept him safe and was the chain that kept him sane. Kurtz told him that being a trainer at the age of ten was his only hope for a happy life.

He was sent to Nuvema town without his father or uncle knowing. Because of that, Kurtz had been on the run for his "crime" of letting his son run away from home. This was fine though. He met people that cared…Blair…Whitlea…Cheren…and Bianca…they all cared, but then Blair, Whitlea and Cheren started their journey and left Bianca and him alone. And then Bianca's dad wouldn't allow Bianca to go near him because he was part of the Mephisto family. Trip realized that the only way to make any friends, he would have to discard the name and his past.

He tried to do that. He almost succeeded but the closer he got closer to home, the more he realized that he wouldn't be able to escape his past…and he just gave up knowing that even if he earned eight badges before he got home, he would still be forced to return.

And then…he met him…Ash Ketchum…the idiot from Pallet Town. Trip didn't realize that Ash would be the one to help him out of his hell, but he wanted to stay away from him and everyone else in fear that they would end up like Paige and bully him once they found out who he was.

Yet here Ash was telling him that everyone would be okay. All he had to say those words and he could get out of this hellhole for good.

"Fight him Trip. You're not weak. We all know that. You're a strong trainer who has put up with unimaginable hell and we know you'll make it through…because you have us to back you up."

"Ash…I…I…"

He just had to say those words. They wouldn't come out. He really was scared at what Bane would do to him. He knew that Ash wouldn't come right away. He would have to wait until nightfall at the very least. Could he put up with his abuse for another twelve hours? Clenching his fist, he knew what he must do…

_It's risky to put them in danger…but maybe…maybe…_

"Trip?"

"Help…"

"Trip? I can't hear you…"

"Help me…help me…Ash…please help me!"

Those words were what the group needed to confirm the abuse. However, the line went dead shortly afterward.

"TRIP!" Ash ended up shouting into the phone knowing it was useless. His uncle cut them off but now he knew…

"Now we think of a plan to save him!" Est declared. "No matter what we plan, we'll save him before the day is over!"

Ash clutched the phone in his hand. Trip's voice was desperate. There was no way he would let him down now.

"Pika pi?"

Ash looked down at his Pikachu and nodded his head.

_We'll save you Trip. Just hold on…hold on for me at least._

* * *

Trip was slammed into the wall shortly after the phone call. He knew his uncle would lash out at him but the photographer knew that his uncle was screwed at this point. All he had to do was endure it.

"You fucking brat! You useless piece of shit!" He cursed as he landed a few punches on his face.

Trip only managed to stop one of the blows with that strength Ash was talking about. He was too weak to fight back though from just finishing having sex with this bastard. He glared daggers at him, no longer showing the fear he had a couple of hours ago.

"I hate you…" Trip began as he slowly started to stand up after being punched down. "You were always the one in the family that wanted…to break us up…even before mom left, you were always stressing her out. Always trying to make advances on her…even though she was only a teenager…you wanted to…rape her…"

"Fuck you!"

He kicked Trip in the stomach sending him back on the floor. The dirty blonde coughed up blood.

"What would a fucking brat like you know? You don't know how humiliating it is for that old hag to choose your pussy brother over me! I was the one that was going to nurture her and make her the perfect housewife but no! My fucking brother gets her and he lets her rampage instead! If I was in charge, that bitch wouldn't be on top of the world now with that asshole."

Trip chuckled to himself. Bane didn't like that one bit as his fuse was already blown.

"It's funny…Rugal may be the number one douchebag in Unova…but at least…he cares for mother…"

"HUH?"

Trip didn't want to admit this but anything to rub salt on the wound was good enough for him.

"Rugal is an asshole like you said. He makes dead baby jokes, he kicks people down when they're depressed and he's not afraid of telling you how much you suck…but when it comes to my mom…he may act abusive around her…but she wouldn't allow him to take control…and the tango they do together is enough to know that the domestic abuse isn't one sided…but…"

"Your view of the world is fucked Trip!"

"As fucked as that relationship may be, it's better than trying to treat my mother like a slave." He stood up again. "Get out of this mansion. It doesn't belong to you. Mom bought it for me to use as a hideout against my dad and you! You don't own anything in this mansion and you certainly don't own what's behind that door! Even if I figured out where the key is, I'm certain that you won't be getting anything behind there! And you want to know why? Because you're a pathetic lowlife that can't do anything in his life and needs to put his own nephew down because he looks back at his life and realizes that he's a failure! That's what you are! A loser that has to fuck his nephew to relieve his pleasure!"

Trip was thrown onto the ground again. His uncle was furious but he expected that. He could do anything he wanted to him now but it wasn't going to change the fact that Ash was going to save him. Ash promised that he would come back for him and he was going to hold Ash to that promise.

"You need to shut that goddamn mouth or do I have to destroy those vocal cords?"

His life was already ruined so why would it matter if he lost something? He was holding onto the fact that Ash was coming to save him. Bane knew this so this threat didn't matter.

"Do what you want with me." Trip told him boldly. "You're going to get what's coming to you. Scum like you always get what they deserve."

Bane gave him a psychotic smirk in response. "We'll see about that."

Trip almost gasped when he felt his uncle stroking his thighs. He was naked this entire time and he almost forgot about it…but…

"This Ash person that is giving you this attitude. If I killed him, would you be my slave?"

"…Ash won't die…" Trip convinced himself. "I'd like to see you try. I have confidents in that idiot…he'll save me…he promised…"

Bane just laughed as people started to appear behind him. His gang already had a plan to deal with Ash and co and they were going to launch it by tonight. Trip prayed for Ash's safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 11402 words. Notes…
> 
> 1\. The argument at the beginning was inevitable. This was supposed to show that without Blair who was the heart of the group and Cilan who was the reason of the group were absent. Actually, Blair snapping just shows how fragile he is like everyone else. So Blair lays out the facts why Est sucks and…
> 
> 2\. Iris' breakdown…is similar to Madoka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Since they have the same Japanese voice actors, it's easy to see how Iris broke down from the sudden revelations around her.
> 
> 3\. Yep, Blair basically said, "Screw this I'm outta here" and just fucking booked. This shows that Blair is capable of showing anger and is capable of giving up despite the fact that he's supposed to be the pillar of support. So of course this comes off as a huge asshole moment because not only does he leave when the group needs him after Cilan went crazy but because he forgets Michael's promise to help him find his Pokémon. Also, leaving Bianca behind makes her snap because she's the implied love interest and so on.
> 
> 4\. Burgundy taking the role as the pillar of support is a huge risk for her character. However, pay attention to her character development in the Don George tournament. She basically mellowed out when she first appeared but was still hostile to Cilan. Despite this though, she was willing to make up with Cilan and realize that she was wrong. Because she became the breakout character of the arc, she would be emotionally stronger than the rest of the group. Let's look at it this way. I made Michael a rather timid protagonist after Bane and his men ambushed him so his personality that made him strong will that took out Cipher in Gale of Darkness is gone in this story. There is no way in hell Bianca or Georgia can lead due to their personalities. Stephan doesn't come off as the smart guy and technically speaking, he would make things worse. Luke is soft spoken so his voice wouldn't be heard. Iris just broke down as mentioned above and Ash is still young at heart and doesn't understand the situation well like everyone else. Ash has been the chaste hero that doesn't understand concepts like rape or conditions like schizophrenia. So even if Ash could hold the group together, because he's worried sick about Trip, it's not going to go far and Ash doesn't plan at all. And then there's Est who is immature despite being the oldest of the group and Blair pointed that out.
> 
> 5\. Trip's uncle is an asshole. The worse you can do to Trip is forced imagery. But Ghetsis is basically asking for the same thing from Cilan, but unfortunately for you people, I'm not writing that because Ghetsis is Gaycheese.
> 
> 6\. In the end, Chili and Cress still love their brother so they stood up for him.
> 
> 7\. I summed up Trip's fucked up life in this one chapter. This is why I don't write about Paige though. She was originally created to be the foil to Trip and be his friend but Trip doesn't see her as a friend in my other stories and for good reasons. So technically speaking, she's a huge bully but despite the fact she's a bully, she allows Trip to use her Audino to heal Pokémon and humans. This applies to Tio and Tiana too. They are implied to bully Trip but Tio doesn't do it to the extreme like Paige or Tiana does, but Twins of Evil already implies why the twins are pissed off at him. But the biggest question is whom the fuck was cruel enough to call Child Service when Maddalen was trying to be a mother when she realized how much she sucked?
> 
> 8\. At this point, Ash doesn't care what Trip is. He doesn't care if Trip was raped and is tainted forever or if he murdered people and has blood on his hands. Ash has already decided that he's going to save Trip no matter what. Yet…Ash can't say that he loves him because he still doesn't understand the feeling at the moment, but Trip does.
> 
> 9\. I made it apparent that the police headquarters is in Driftveil City because Clay basically was able to round up the Team Plasma members up easily there. So in other words, Trip's father's division is stationed there and the police that Est advised Burgundy to call was the Nimbasa division despite the fact they're having a problem with Nimbasa City. Child Service is also in this area but to be fair, there is Child Service in the big cities. 
> 
> 10\. The entire scene plays out like the Massacre arc (AKA the Rika arc) in Higurashi. Some of the dialogue is similar if you noticed but had to be changed for the story. In the end, I threw in some Ash/Trip moments to make your heart melt…before Trip gets his ass kicked again, but not before telling Bane why he's such a lowlife and coming from Trip who compares Rugal to Bane and Rugal is described as the number 1 asshole, it means something.


	17. Mortal Stampede

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan has been determined. The group will split up because Michael is very aware that Cipher will attack the drawbridge if they all go to the mansion. So the group splits into two groups. Burgundy, Georgia, Stephan and Luke stay at the drawbridge to protect it from Cipher while Ash, Iris, Bianca, Est and Michael rush back to the mansion to save Trip. The plan is soon to be flawed when Ash's group has to split up again to distract the members at the front of the entrance…

By the time the sun went down, the plan to save Trip was already calculated. The plan seemed to be simple enough in Burgundy's mind. The group would be divided into two groups thanks to Est and Michael's information that Bane had henchmen that patrolled the area looking for people that would interfere with his plans whatever that may be.

Burgundy split the group in two. She along with Georgia, Luke and Stephan would stay behind at the Pokémon Center making sure that no one suspicious would come there way. If they spotted Blair or Cilan, they would beat the shit out of them for leaving the group at the most important time and talk some sense in them. Ash would lead Iris, Bianca, Michael and Est back toward the mansion for a direct attack. Burgundy chose them to go because they knew the mansion best. Even though Michael has yet to step foot into the mansion, he knew of Bane's dirty antics and could easily expose them if he were with Ash. Plus, at the moment, he was the calmest of the group.

"Burgundy, why aren't you coming with us?" Bianca asked.

"I told you, a leader has to stay here and keep watch!" Burgundy declared with her voice still unsteady. "Besides, if I go, that asshole will realize he was tricked and I don't want his fuse to blow up more with my presence there."

"You could just say you're a coward and would do the easy shit here." Georgia answered sarcastically.

"What did you say?"

"You can't rely on Burgundy, so I'll end up taking the lead." The redhead continued. "Don't let your guard down even for a second. From the information I know, this Bane cannot be trusted."

"We know that." Ash said darkly.

Georgia turned to Iris and frowned. "Hey, are you going to be okay out there?"

"? What?"

"You seem awfully pale. I wouldn't be surprised if you screwed up out there."

While Georgia tried to sound as sarcastic and crude as possible, it was obvious that she was worrying for Iris' overall health. Iris did not catch that tone of worry and end up glaring daggers at her.

"Of course I'm fine! It's not like I'm going to stay here with the likes of you!"

"What? And here to think I was worried about you!"

"If you're going to worry for anyone, worry about yourself! The dragon buster is the one that can't be alone for one second without screwing up."

The two rivals seemed to be back to normal with lightening bolts coming out of their eyes. The group just sighed at their immature behavior. Luke wanted to express his anxiety to Bianca but she was distracted by something else. He wanted to request her to stay behind with them so he wouldn't have to worry about her ditzy personality ruining everything. Bianca's resolve was strong though even if Blair wasn't there to encourage her.

"Be careful Ash." Stephan warned. "This might be our toughest battle yet."

Ash nodded his head. What Stephan said was true. He had dealt with many life-threatening events in the past. All of them concerned a powerful legendary Pokémon that threatened to destroy the world one way or another if it wasn't stop. It took determination, the power of friendship and a miracle to stop every single tragedy. He would not have been able to save everyone without his Pokémon pals and trusty companions.

This was different though. This situation did not involve a legendary Pokémon that threatened to end the world. This situation was a real life situation where using Pokémon was not the situation; the situation that Ash would never have to deal with due to having a loving mother. If he screwed this up, the world wasn't in danger. The life of one person he cared about was on the line and if they failed to get him out of his uncle's grasp then Trip would surely fall into despair.

Ash wished that Cilan or Blair were here with them. Those two reminded him of Brock or even Gary in a way. They were the ones that encouraged him even when the situation was hopeless. They were the ones that always told Ash to go on ahead first and to leave this problem to them. Cilan and Blair weren't there now though. They both had issues that made them quit before the real battle began. When Trip was rescued, they were going to have a long talk about their issues whether they like it or not.

"You have the Pokémon for this rescue mission ready Ash?" Est asked in a monotone voice. The little witch got serious after they lost contact with Trip. She was determined to save her crush's nephew if it was the last thing she did.

Ash had six Pokémon ready plus Eevee. He had to leave to Scraggy behind because he knew that the baby Pokémon wouldn't be able to do much if it's only effective move was hi jump kick. He kept a party of Pikachu, Oshawott, Snivy, Tepig, Palpitoad and Roggenrola. He hoped this team would save Trip.

"Ready."

"Ash..." Burgundy began. "Ne meurs pas sur nous!"

"Huh?"

"Don't you dare die on us Ash! This guy would kill us if he had the chance! Don't let your guard down!"

The rescue group nodded their heads in union. They were going to take down Bane one way or another.

"Alright, let's go!" Ash declared.

Officer Jenny was so kind to lend them her police car. They would reach the mansion must faster this way and apparently Est knew the basics of driving. That was all they needed though in order to get to the mansion.

As the car drove off, Georgia turned around and frowned. "They're coming."

"Wait? Already?" Burgundy questioned already panicking.

The four trainers all got their Pokéballs out. Georgia just chuckled. She was going to show Iris that she was the better trainer of the two.

"Beartic, get ready for battle!"

* * *

Blair felt like a fucking asshole for leaving the group, but he couldn't help it. He needed to cool his head, but the minute he did, he realized his mistake. It was too late to turn back and apologize though. He was already in Driftveil City and he was going to keep going to find N. He had to find out if N was the cause of the attack in Nimbasa City. In his mind, Blair knew N could never do that, but that man named Ghetsis would.

As he tried to reach the Pokémon Center to heal his Pokémon, he ended up encountering someone that fit the description of someone that Est knew. Yeah, the figure of a tall woman with messy purple hair and a rather tight ass was in his view. She was wearing a sailor fuku of some sort that would make her an easy target for predators. Her purple stockings stood out, but because of that, her outfit didn't seem to match at all. She appeared to be lost or rather she looked like she was waiting for someone.

When Blair approached her, he froze upon seeing two more familiar faces.

 _Fuck…why did Whitlea and Cheren have to be here?_ Blair asked himself as he made a quick attempt to turn back. However, Whitlea spotted him from a mile away and raced over to grab his collar.

"Blair, long time no see~" She squealed as she forced him to stop walking. If he continued, he would choke himself and that wasn't going to happen until after he became the champion. "We were waiting for you~"

"I know that…" Blair muttered as he brushed her hand away. "Nimbasa City was under attack, so I ended up having to delay my travels to help out. Then I met up with Bianca heading here and the bridge was unusable, so I had to wait a few more days until today so I can meet up with you guys."

"…You left Bianca on the other side?"

Blair knew he was a bad liar. Whatever he said wasn't going to convince them otherwise.

"I did…because I was stressed out and…"

"Hey, what's wrong with your shoulder?" The women with the purple hair asked as she went up to him and squeezed his shoulder. Blair shrieked as he pulled back instantly from her.

"How did you get it injured?" Cheren asked. He was already on his case and was probably putting the pieces of the story together.

"Uh…"

"Blair…what are you hiding?"

His two childhood friends were on him like a Wingull waiting for Krabby to drop its guard. Blair just wanted to reach the Pokémon Center but here he was…

"It's a long story and you guys probably won't believe me…"

The purple haired girl just grinned sheepishly as she grabbed his injured arm. Blair was stunned that this woman had incredible strength and he couldn't pull away this time.

"We'll talk about it in the Pokémon Center first~"

Blair was glad that he could heal his Pokémon there but it wasn't worth it if his arm was going to be ripped off out of its sockets. Whitlea and Cheren continued to give him the evil eye as they made their way to the Pokémon Center.

_Can my luck get any worse?_

* * *

To everyone's surprise, Est was a really good driver. She might have sucked with Pokémon but with human appliances, she was an ace. At 100 miles per hour, she drove the car through the forest and back at the mansion. She was going too fast by everyone's standards so everyone had to grip on something so they wouldn't be thrown out of the car if she hit the break unexpectedly. Pikachu and Eevee gripped tightly on Ash who was lost in thought and didn't think about the speed of the car.

"Est," Ash began, "do you know anything else about Trip's uncle that can give us an advantage?"

"Besides him having an unhealthy obsession with his mom, I can't think of anything else." Est exclaimed. "I mean, he hates Pokémon like the rest of his side of the family."

"…And he uses a Shadow Pokémon…" Michael muttered. "I got to catch it…"

Est gradually slowed down before having to stop near the mansion.

"What's wrong?" Bianca questioned.

"We got company here."

"Well, we all can't go into the mansion after all. Either two or three of us will have to stay behind and deal with Bane's thugs while the rest of us will go inside to save Trip."

The little witch wanted to be on the rescue team so badly. Ash was regarded as the leader of this rescue mission though, so his decision was important. Instead he turned toward the girls. "Iris, Bianca, I'll be counting on you two."

"W-What, us?" Bianca wondered.

"You got it Ash." Iris answered.

Iris unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the car with a Pokéball in hand. Her Axew was hiding in her hair but at this point, she didn't care if her Axew was acting cowardly. Maybe beating up some scum would take her mind off of Cilan. Hoping that Bianca would see eye to eye with her, she pulled her out of the car causing the older teen to shriek. She didn't want to be on this team but it was either this team or the one that would rescue Trip.

"Excadrill, let's go!"

The dragon trainer sent out her Excadrill who was ready to kick ass. Bianca slowly calmed herself down as she sent out her Shelmet to do battle. Michael quickly slammed the door as Est hit the breaks.

"We're going to crash through those gates." Est warned as she stepped on the gas.

Michael's usual stoic expressed changed to that off fear as he gripped the handle above his seat. Ash's eye became more determined than ever.

_Hang on Trip, we're almost there!_

* * *

There was heavy panting coming from the room. Trip knew he was at his limit when his uncle thrusted into him one last time before cumming inside. His uncle was trying to catch his breath, but he was already angry that Trip wouldn't submit to him anymore. Even if he tied a rope to the ceiling with his hands over his head and legs chained to the floor making the position as awkward as possible, the photographer wasn't going to cry again. He was going to wait for Ash to save him. He was going to hold onto the small hope that Ash gave him if it was the last thing he did.

"Damn brat, you know your prince charming won't like you after having sex so many times with older men and enjoying it." Bane taunted as he stroked his hair gently causing the young trainer to flinch. "Plus you already have your hands dirty with murder. There's no hope for you."

"…It doesn't matter."

"Huh?"

"I don't care what Ash thinks of me after this…he promised he would save me…so I'm going to believe him. I won't waver again…"

He was met by a slap in the face.

"You talk nonsense just like your father! Your entire family is delusional!"

"…"

Bane just chuckled when he realized what he could do to break his nephew again. "You know, what would happen if you saw your beloved prince make love to someone else that isn't you?"

"What happens if instead of you that he fucks, he goes and fucks another girl that he's known all of his life? What would you do if you saw him insert his dick inside her-"

"Shut up!"

Bane smirked as he continued. "You know, he may have promised to save you but he's not going to hook up with you. Even if you say you don't care what he thinks after this, we both know that's not true. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you tried to kill her for stealing your man."

"No…"

"In fact, if you had a choice, you would kill off the competition. I'm sure your mother would do it for that idiot slave she has."

"…"

"Oh, did I touch a sore spot. Don't worry, your uncle is going to make it feel all better."

He said this as he forced his nephew to suck on his fingers. Bane was going to start again but he didn't expect a sharp pain to come to his fingers when he pulled them out. "! You fucking brat!"

Trip gave a callous stare toward his uncle. "Mind games won't work…they won't…I may not have known Ash for long…but I know he's an idiot…that doesn't understand the concept of love…not at all…"

He smiled sadly to himself when he said this. The dirty blonde knew that gaining Ash's love would be impossible. Ash had traveled many regions at this point and probably wooed many girls in the process. Trip was probably just another person to add to the list that would have his heart broken when all was said and done. It wouldn't matter in the end though. Ash told him that he wasn't worthless…and if he weren't worthless then he would keep living for his sake…

"Tch, keep telling yourself that. Lovrina will take care of him and you will watch."

Trip wondered if that dumb bitch would succeed in seducing Ash anyway…unless she had a plan that would make even the most oblivious person more aware of his surroundings then they had no way of making Trip change his mind.

_Ash…please hurry…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 3530 words. Heads up...
> 
> Burgundy, Georgia, Stephan and Luke are supposed to stay at the drawbridge because Michael said that there would be some Cipher members arriving there. Why? Because Bane didn't keep his word about not shipping Trip's Pokémon, so he's waiting for them to arrive so he can send them off to become Shadow Pokémon. Michael knows his antiques hence why he asked half the group to stay behind to arrest them and probably get back some of his Shadow Pokémon.
> 
> Ash, Iris, Bianca, Michael and Est are on the rescue team. Does anyone realize how bad this combination is? You have Est who is a terrible Pokémon trainer and can't even handle Bane in a one on one fight, Iris and Bianca are still mentally damaged by Cilan and Blair leaving, Michael is also traumatized by Bane's ambush, so he doesn't have that many Pokémon on him to begin with and finally we have Ash who we all know isn't good with coming up with plans especially ones that involve rescuing someone. And Ash decides that the two traumatized girls are the ones that have to stay behind while Est drives into the mansion? Yeah…we can see where this is all going.


	18. Dread of the Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle has begun…and of course it doesn't go well with Ash and the group. Someone is going to have to do something to make sure no one gets killed…and there will be multiple people that are going to get Ash and his friends out of this mess, even from the most unexpected sources.

The car collided with the gates. Despite the gates being rather strong against Pokémon, a car was a different story and Est knew this. She drove through the mansion and Bane's henchman that were near the entrance dove out of the way. She didn't hit the door surprisingly. Michael jumped out of the car simply because he didn't want to be in there anymore. He had his Pokéballs out ready to recapture his Pokémon from the thugs who were slowly recovering.

"Vaporeon, Magnezone, I choose you!"

He threw two Pokéballs in the air. One was the water evolution of Eevee while the other was this huge UFO with magnets attached to it.

"I'm ready to take my Pokémon back." Michael said in a rather crude tone.

Est turned the engine of the car off before jumping out with Ash. She turned to Michael and frowned. "I got it here Michael."

"W-What?"

"These jerks hurt my little Trip! They won't get away with this!"

"But what are you going to do?" Ash asked. "You suck at Pokémon."

Est got out a Pokéball and smirked. "Do I really?"

"Wait…what?"

"Come on out Gengar!"

The purple ghost Pokémon appeared out of its Pokéball and cackled upon being released.

"You had a powerful Pokémon and didn't bother using it against Blair?" Michael had to ask.

"Well, I thought Blair was a pushover so…"

"So you decided to humiliate yourself by sending out the weakest Pokémon you could possibly imagine."

 ** _Hey! I'm not that weak!_ ** Est's Zorua hissed.

Michael stared at the Zorua before shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever…Ash, let's go."

"Ash, you find Trip. Michael, you find the Pokémon. I'm certain they're in two different places in this mansion. Bane wouldn't put them in the same area."

"Right!"

"Whatever…"

Est was ready to kick ass. When Bane's henchmen recovered from the crazy accident, Ash and Michael rushed into the mansion. Michael was disappointed that security wasn't tight at the entrance, or maybe they weren't expecting Est to crash in the front since that would be too reckless for the heroes to do.

Even though he wasn't in the mansion for long, Ash did something that he wasn't known for doing. He memorized the layout and where Trip's room was. That was where he and Michael were going to head to first.

Too bad Ash didn't anticipate that there might be traps in the mansion now. As they reached the staircase, the floor gave out on Ash.

"!"

"Ash!"

Michael reached out to him but Ash already fell through the pitfall. Pikachu and Eevee jumped onto Michael's shoulder in time before that happened.

"Pika pi!"

"Eevee!"

Michael groaned as he debated whether to fall down with him or to run up the stairs. "Dammit Ash! You're supposed to know where these pitfalls are!"

In the end, he decided to take the long way instead of searching for Trip's Pokémon. Est would probably do that anyway.

* * *

There was such a thing as miscalculation in life and Burgundy realized she made a huge error she wouldn't be able to fix. Cipher may have seemed like a small group of troublemakers in her mind, but they were a force you did not want to mess with. The group saw Cipher trying to make it under the Driftveil drawbridge and they attacked with all their might sending their strongest Pokémon to counter them.

Shadow Pokémon were not to be underestimated. They could easily take them on despite being outnumbered. Burgundy knew that her Stoutland was strong, but not enough to take on a Shadow Primeape. If what Cilan taught her about type advantage, she wasn't worried about that. It was the moves it performed that anyone in this region haven't heard of is what caught her totally unprepared.

There were four male Cipher members there and four of them. They attacked with a Shadow Primeape, Shadow Beedrill, Shadow Solrock and Shadow Lunatone. On the hero's team, the group had Sawk, Beartic, Stoutland and Golett. The only person that seemed to be holding off well was Georgia and that was because she had the easiest opponent being the Beedrill. Beedrill was quick and using twin needle often but Georgia would counter with rock smash. They were evenly matched. Burgundy wasn't doing so well not only because of the type disadvantage, but also because of the moves she had never seen before. Stephan was barely holding on with Solrock as he also had the type disadvantage and Luke was losing the one sided battle with his Golett. His Zorua would have been a better Pokémon to use but she didn't have the stamina that his Golett had.

"Dammit, these guys are tough!" Stephan announced. "Sawk, use close combat!"

Stephan was reckless in battle using moves that would backfire after using them. Solrock was waiting for an opportunity before it unleashed shadow sky. This hurt all Pokémon on the field except Shadow Pokémon.

"Shadow panic Solrock!" The Cipher member ordered as Solrock unleashed a crazy purple aura out of the spikes that made it look like the sun. The attack hit every Pokémon on their side causing them all to be dazed.

"!"

"Shadow rush!" They all ordered once the Pokémon were confused.

The four Pokémon charged them with a dark aura around them. They all made contact with their opponent that sent them flying. Only Beartic got back up.

"Don't take that shit Beartic! Icicle spear!"

Beartic absorbed the blow and shot out icicles from its mouth catching Beedrill off guard. Beedrill took a direct hit from the icicles and came crashing down. However, the Cipher member wasn't going to take a lost.

"Cut now!"

The Beedrill suddenly got up. If anyone in the area could see the aura, then they would see that the purple aura turned to red. Its eyes were directed at Beartic's training. At lightning speed, it zoomed passed Beartic and toward Georgia.

"Georgia, look out!" Stephan called out.

It was too late though. Georgia saw that Beedrill was aiming for her face so she tried to block with her hand. The way she held out her hand out was awkward. While it saved her face and probably her head from being cut off, something indeed was sliced off. She screamed in pain when cut came in contact with her middle finger.

"GEORGIA!" Burgundy cried out.

Beartic reacted by grabbing Beedrill by the wings and stomping on its head. Beedrill wasn't going to get up for a while. Georgia fell to her knees clutching her hand that lost a finger. She didn't expect Cipher to pull a dirty trick and outright try to assassinate her in the middle of a battle but that's what she got for holding her head too high.

Burgundy tried to rush over to the redhead. Georgia told her to stay away and for good reasons. Cipher tried to separate the group. One member ordered his Solrock to use flamethrower on the purple haired sommelier. She barely managed to avoid being burned. These Shadow Pokémon were out to kill and it wasn't just harmless burns that she got like when Ash's Tepig burned her.

"Georgia! Burgundy!"

"Stephan, what do we do?"

Stephan realized that Luke was panicking and for good reasons. One major injury and many Pokémon on their side in the critical zone were making things look bad. Officer Jenny wouldn't be able to do anything even with her threats because they would try to kill her outright.

"I guess this is the end of line for you four." The leader of the four said as he ordered his Lunatone to use hyper beam on the group.

As Lunatone prepared to charge up its most powerful attack, Stephan had to decide what he was going to do. Should he leave Luke and rush to save the girls or stay there and watch them be obliterated.

_Shit…shit…shit! Where is Blair when you need him?_

Lunatone unleashed it's most powerful attack when…

"HYDRO CANNON!"

No one expected a powerful attack to counter hyper beam. It was so strong that hyper beam was cancelled and hydro cannon ended up hitting Lunatone knocking it out on the spot.

"W-What the?"

"SORA, HURRICANE!"

A powerful gust began to pick up. The area around the bridge started to shake until whirlpools formed in the water. These whirlpools turned into hurricanes as they launched into the air and hit all the members of Cipher and their Pokémon. The bridge looked like it was going to take damage but luckily, the attack was strong enough to suck up the people on the bridge as well as their ship while not damaging the drawbridge itself.

"What in Arceus is going on?" Stephan asked out loud.

The Cipher members all hit the bridge face first. All but the leader was unconscious. He tried to stand up but something trampled over him causing him to faint at long last. The Pokémon that did that came to the group's aid with his trainer riding him.

"I'm sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

The group knew who saved their asses but didn't give him a warm welcoming.

"You're late Blair! Georgia is injured!" Burgundy shouted.

The brunette flinched as he glanced at her injury. She lost a finger…if he was there a few minutes sooner then this wouldn't have had happened.

"Blair, what happened?"

The group saw whom Blair brought along. It was a girl that looked to be the same age as the brunette. She had brown hair and blue eyes and she was riding a gigantic Dragonite. The Dragonite could not land on the bridge, so she was forced to stay in the water and look down at the group.

"Whitlea, please take care of them. I have to go to Bianca." Blair said quickly. He turned to Luke. "Do you know where she is?"

"She went to save Trip with Ash's group."

"Thanks. Reim, aqua jet into the forest!"

This was the fastest way to travel. Samurott obeyed as he covered himself with water and charged past the group and into the forest. Whitlea jumped down from her Dragonite with a first aid.

"Officer Jenny, what are you waiting for? Arrest these goons!"

Officer Jenny, who had just been on the sidelines waiting for the teenagers to do the dirty work snapped out of her train of thought and nodded her head. Whitlea turned to Stephan, "Hurry up and get Nurse Joy! She has to get that treated before she loses more blood!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

Stephan rushed off back to the Pokémon Center. Whitlea quickly rushed over to Burgundy and Georgia and got the first aid out.

"Who are you?" Georgia asked weakly as she felt herself getting weaker despite losing only one small body part.

"I'm Whitlea, but you can call me White. I'm Blair, Cheren and Bianca's best friend, and I'm going to make sure everyone here is okay."

White closed her eyes as she thought of Blair. _Blair, please hurry. Cipher is someone that you don't want Bianca alone with._

* * *

The girls weren't doing so well outside as they thought they were. There were many Cipher members. All wore clothing that blended in with the surrounding. To make matters worse, it was nighttime, so it was hard to see them. Bianca shouldn't have had been there at all. She couldn't predict when their Shadow Pokémon would strike them without warning. In fact, her inexperience with battling made her an easy target for Cipher. Their Pokémon would attack her Pignite and then hide back into the shadows. It got to the point where it frustrated Bianca and she chased after them as a result. Iris called for her but Bianca didn't return. The dragon trainer was left to fend for herself.

"This is why she should have had stayed at wit the other group!" Iris complained as she got out another Pokéball. "Emolga, help me out too! Axew, get out there and fight!"

Her flying squirrel came out of the ball as she perched herself on Iris' shoulder. Axew was reluctant to get out of Iris' hair and for good reasons. Excadrill stood by his trainer's side to make sure that she wouldn't be harmed.

She was going to try a triple battle. Even though she didn't know how many opponents she was facing, she would have a better chance at defending herself.

Closing her eyes, she tried to detect any movement from the bush. She heard rustling in the bushes and pointed in that direction. "Emolga use hidden power!"

Emolga obeyed for once as she jumped off her trainer's shoulder and fired a green light from the palm of her hands. She hit one of the members as he jumped out of the bushes with his Shadow Houndoom.

"Good, Excadrill, drill run!"

Excadrill quickly incased himself into his shell so only the drill was evident before charging at Houndoom. Because Houndoom didn't expect to be attacked right away, it took a direct hit. The Pokémon was sent flying into a nearby tree.

"Alright, one down!"

Iris quickly noticed that a gunk shot was aimed at her. She quickly jumped out of the way before ordering her Axew to use dragon rage in that area. Axew jumped out of her hair and fired a powerful dragon rage. It hit a Shadow Arbok but it wasn't KOed from the attack.

"Shadow half!" The trainer ordered.

Iris had no idea what that move was, but she didn't want to know. "Emolga, discharge the whole forest!"

She should have done this sooner. Her Emolga began to spark before she unleashed electricity from her body. She hit everything in the forest including her own trainer, but that needed to happen in order for her to uncover all the Cipher members.

Iris counted at least seven of them after her. She wasn't good at math but there must have been at least three more. They probably went after Bianca.

"Good job Emolga." Iris praised.

Emolga gave her a confident smirk as she floated back to her trainer's shoulder. Everyone in the area was stunned so they wouldn't be able to move for a while.

"Great, now let's go get Bianca before something bad happens to her." Iris told her Pokémon.

As she was about to leave though, she felt something wrap around her leg. She looked down and noticed that she missed a Pokémon that used string shot.

"!"

"Ariados, tie her up!"

Did she miss one member of Cipher? She turned around quickly and noticed that Cipher member was wearing a different suit that was immune to electricity. Were they preparing for her to let her guard down?"

"Excadrill, use-"

She didn't get to finish her command because the Houndoom she thought she defeated attacked with fire blast. Excadrill was hit dead on in the back.

"Excadrill!"

"Arbok, shadow half!"

That Arbok she also thought she defeated stretched itself before unleashing a negative energy from its body weakening both Emolga and Axew.

"! Axew, Emolga!"

"Scyther, shadow rush!"

They were attacking her too fast. A shadow Scyther popped out of the pushes at lightning speed and hit Iris dead on sending her to the ground. Axew and Emolga fell off with her. Scyther was aiming for them though as it unleashed a barrage of shadow rushes. It only took one hit to injure Axew but Emolga tried to fly away. Arbok slammed Emolga down with its tail and sent her crashing into the ground.

"Emolga…no!"

Excadrill tried to get back up but Houndoom tackled him with a shadow rush and sent him crashing into a nearby tree. He wouldn't be able to get up for a while.

"Foolish girl, the leader of the group said as he came out of the bushes. "You thought you could take us on all by yourself? Ariados keep wrapping her up like a Christmas present."

Iris was trying to break the thread this entire time, but being hit in the back by Scyther and watching her Pokémon being attacked mercilessly had stopped her from completely pulling the thread and fighting back. Ariados instantly caught her arm with string shot and before she knew it, she was being tied up and left at Cipher's mercy. Her Pokémon were trying to get up but Cipher grabbed her Axew and Emolga and threw them where her Excadrill were. They looked ready to snag her Pokémon away from her.

How did they…

"Shadow Pokémon are stronger foolish girl. I would think that little cunt would have told you about us."

Trip…?

"It won't matter now. Once we're through with you, your cute little mouth will be silenced forever."

Iris couldn't move from her binds and they were closing in on her. She started to shiver. How could she get into this situation now?

_Cilan…help me…_

* * *

Bianca wasn't doing any better. Not only did she lose track of Iris when she ran deeper into the forest, but she lost her opponent she was chasing. She and her Pignite were tired. This is what they wanted.

"Pignite…I don't think I can do this anymore…" The blonde trainer complained as she glanced around. How was she going to make it back to Iris? "Oh…which way?"

"Poliwrath, shadow rush!"

She nearly shrieked as the enemy's Poliwrath jumped out of the bushes and tacked her Pignite into a nearby tree.

"P-Pignite? Are you okay?"

She turned her back. A big mistake because a Shadow Venomoth flew out of the trees and unleashed a supersonic attack at her. She instantly became dizzy when the sound waves hit her ears. Bianca instantly collapsed to her knees because the world was spinning around her. She tried to get another Pokéball out but was met with a shadow rush attack from that same bug Pokémon. Unlike Iris, she couldn't take multiple hits. One hit sent her crashing next to her Pignite.

"Pig…nite!" Her fire pig called out to her as he stood up instantly and stomped the ground ready to perform a flame charge.

Pignite was outnumbered. Poliwrath hit him with hydro pump. Her Pignite didn't stand a chance against that water move and was knocked out.

"That was easier than taking candy from a baby." A Cipher member mocked as they came out of hiding. Bianca glanced at them weakly. That member had a Stantler on hand and it was glaring down at her and her Pignite. "Women are so easy to defeat."

These men were monsters. They didn't care if they were handling a young girl. One of the members stepped on her head as if she were trash.

"Women should know their place…in the kitchen!" He announced in a mocking tone.

She weakly tried to cover her head from him kicking it but one attack made her unable to move.

"So what was the order?" The guy asked as he kicked her again.

"Bane just said to make sure that these kids didn't get near the mansion. If they did, then we would kill them. He also added that we could do whatever we wanted though."

"That means…we can do what we want with her."

Bianca's heart nearly stopped as they looked down at her with a predatory look. She tried to crawl away when they grabbed her. She started to scream; they retaliated by ordering the Shadow Venomoth to use poison powder on her. A slow yet painful death as toxic spores came out of the purple Pokémon's wings. The purple specs hit her body, but she also inhaled some of the poison. She ended up gasping for air as a result. The three Cipher members found it amusing that she was struggling to breathe.

"Venomoth, why don't we help her out with venoshock?"

That move does double the damage if someone who was poisoned was hit by it. Venomoth unleashed a poisonous liquid onto her body. She couldn't scream because her lungs were tightening when she inhaled the gas. She wheezed as she tried to get fresh air. Cipher was enjoying every moment of this.

"Look how pathetic she is."

"To think that she would be in this rescue mission."

"She must have thought this was a kid's game like the rest of them."

"Finish her off."

Bianca was falling into unconsciousness. Maybe it would have been better. She wouldn't have had to deal with the pain she was feeling now. Her body was numb, her lungs were heavy and she put her Pignite in danger.

_Ash…Iris…Trip…Blair…I'm sorry…for being so useless…_

"Hyper beam."

The two of the Shadow Pokémon began to charge for a hyper beam while the Shadow Stantler prepared solar beam. She knew her death was coming…

"Aqua jet Reim!"

The three Pokémon didn't get a chance to get react as Samurott came charging at them at top speed. It only needed to tackle Stantler because the other two Pokémon got mowed down similar to the domino effect.

"! It's him!"

Bianca heard Samurott land on the ground kicking up dirt as a result. She recognized the Samurott from anywhere. Tears flowed from her eyes when the trainer that left her was getting on his knees checking on her condition.

"B….l…air…"

"Shh, Bianca, don't move." Blair told her softly, "You'll hurt yourself."

Bianca smiled weakly as she tried to reach to move her hand.

"You…"

Blair already took out an antidote and tried to get her to drink it. "Take this. You'll feel better."

Blair placed Bianca's head over his legs slowly and slowly tilted her head to drink the antidote. When he was doing this, Samurott was holding off the Shadow Pokémon single handily. While other Pokémon were having problems with one Shadow Pokémon, Reim took them on without breaking a sweat. Cipher didn't know how to handle him.

"Dammit, get that thing!"

They use hyper beam on Samurott. Reim countered with using ice beam and the attack cancelled as a result.

"Bianca…which one of them hurt you?" Blair asked in a dark tone. "I'll get him back."

She couldn't respond to him. She was still weak. Once the fluid was inside of her, she closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep.

"Dammit…dammit…dammit!"

Blair stood up, glaring daggers at the Cipher members. "You hurt Bianca didn't you?"

The Cipher members stepped back.

"You'll pay…"

Cipher members were only scared of one person. His name was Wes, and he was the trainer that brought down Cipher single handily. For a second, these three Cipher members thought the boy that in front of them was Wes…but this guy may be more dangerous than Wes…especially since he was starting to glow a dark black color...

* * *

Ash couldn't believe that he lost track of everyone once he fell through that trap. Even Pikachu and Eevee didn't fall into the pitfall and was left with Michael. It didn't matter though, he needed to keep going to find Trip and in order to do that, and he would search every goddamn room and hidden chambers in this mansion to find him.

The Kanto trainer rushed ahead into the darkness of the chamber. It was hard to believe that beyond the dead bodies, there was another secret passage. Ash was almost certain that this was the area where Trip was being held.

He didn't get far though because he had to stop. He didn't understand why there was purple miasma in this area. His aura may not have been powerful but it was enough to realize that this place was pure evil.

"Trip…where are you…?" Ash asked as he continued forward.

"A…sh…"

"! Trip?"

"A…sh…"

Ash rushed toward the voice up ahead forgetting the pain he was feeling in his heart. He stopped to catch his breath when he caught sight of Trip up ahead.

"T-Trip! You're okay?"

The raven-haired teen looked up to make sure it was Trip. So far, it seemed like it was Trip. He had the same hair, eye color and clothes…on second thought that last one was false. Trip didn't have any clothes on and instead was wearing a towel around him. He too was out of breath.

"Ash, you really…came for me…"

Ash didn't know what he was doing when he embraced the younger trainer. The action caught Trip off guard but he did not pull away.

"I'm sorry that it took so long."

There were tears falling from his face. He knew this but he couldn't help but cry. The grey-eyed trainer was confused.

"Why are you crying? There's no need for that…I knew you would come save me, I mean, you are the hero."

Ash didn't seem to notice that Trip's tone was different. Was it because he rebelled against his father that he regained his confidence or…

"Trip, let's get out of here. Everyone else is waiting outside. We'll get you away from your uncle and you won't have to worry about him hurting you or your Pokémon again."

"…Thank you Ash…I really appreciate it."

Ash was willing to carry Trip out of this hellhole if he had to. Instead, he led the trainer by the hand slowly out of the dark passage. The Kanto trainer knew his cheeks were red when Trip gripped his hand tighter. They were as cold as ice but Ash assumed it was because of being down here for too long.

As the two began walking, Trip kept looking back as if he was expecting something to come out from behind and grab them.

"Trip, what's wrong?"

"…Ash, there's something I want to give you for rescuing me…"

"You don't have to do it now. Just thank me when we get out…mmph?"

Ash wasn't expecting a surprise kiss from the younger trainer. Small lips were placed against his own as he passively but at the same time assertively gave him a thank you kiss. Now Ash already forced a kiss on him once, but that was out of desperation. He didn't know what to do now.

"I thought you were an expert…" Trip said disappointedly as he pulled away. "I mean, when you pushed me down on the bed…"

Ash wondered if Trip was deliberately trying to make him all flustered. He turned away, smoke coming out of his ears.

"That was…"

"It's okay, I understand…in fact, I want to continue where we left off."

_Ehh?_

Ash was going to pretend that he didn't hear Trip suggest that until he kissed him again only more passionately than the last one.

"There's still time…" He heard Trip say as he led him to a nearby room. Ash wanted to tell him to stop but he couldn't find his voice. He was still dazed from the kiss…it made him wonder how Trip got so good but considering what his uncle was doing to him…

"Trip…stop…"

"Don't you love me?" Trip asked once they made it to the room and the younger trainer pushed him on the bed. "Am I not the most important person to you?"

His heart skipped a beat. What was this feeling that he was feeling now? Trip wasn't going to explain it to him as he started to unzip his zipper. Ash grabbed his arm weakly trying to prevent him from removing his sweater.

"Trip…now isn't the time…"

He didn't mean it like that of course because this being Ash was oblivious to love. However, Trip pouted as a result and moved the hand away. "Didn't you want to fuck me when we were at the Pokémon Center?"

What was Trip using that language to describe the situation they were in yesterday? It wasn't like him at all. Ash nearly mewed when the younger trained kiss his neck lightly as he successfully removed his shirt.

"Why won't you touch me?" He asked in a wanting tone. "Is it because…my uncle…"

"Trip?"

"…Am I that disgusting that even you won't look at me again?"

Ash didn't know what to say. He wasn't use to being in these situations. He nearly gasped as Trip proceeded to take his pants off. He placed his hand on Trip's arms.

"Trip, you have to stop."

Trip didn't respond. Instead, he proceeded to take the towel around his waste and remove it. Flustered Ash tried to prevent him from removing his towel at least. He noticed something wasn't right about the front of the younger trainer's body but he wasn't experienced in this field to know what it was.

"Trip!"

"Please Ash…please tell me you love me…please make me feel…"

"That's enough!"

Ash didn't mean to slap the young photographer but he wasn't acting in character at all. This caught him off guard. Instead of crying, he looked pissed.

"Why? Why are you so…"

"This isn't you Trip." Ash told him rather harshly. "You need to realize this isn't the time or place to do this. We have to focus on getting out of here instead of doing this." Ash was still blushing when he said that. "And to answer your question, I don't know how to respond to that."

"…Are you serious or are you trying to hurt me?"

"No, I'm serious. I never had to deal with this for the past five years. I still don't know what you're trying to do, but I know that it's not good…plus…" Ash gave a determined stare at the young trainer. "Even though I don't understand your situation as well as everyone else with how your post traumatic stress disorder syndromes are, I know you're not supposed to be trying to do this with me according to Est."

Trip said nothing…before he started cackling. "That's too bad. I guess seducing you is out of the question."

"!"

To his horror, Trip got out a butcher knife underneath the towel and tried to stab him. Ash managed to dodge it in time. However, he was feeling kind of dizzy and fell off the bed.

"T-Trip…"

"…Fool."

When Ash managed to get up, Trip was gone. Instead, on the bed was a woman that was at least ten years older than him with long pink hair and green eyes. She had a white suit on and goggles on her head. Any signs of the towel were gone.

"Seriously, you are like the worse guy to fall in love with!" The girl mocked as she sat up from the bed. "I feel sorry for the kid that he fell for the guy who doesn't even understand what sex is."

Ash backed up against the wall before he glared at her. "Where is Trip? What did you do to him?"

"Oh him? He's at the end of the chamber still being taught a lesson from his uncle. It's like totally cool there, but you are so not going to make it to him on time because I'm going to kill you now."

Ash tried to get one of his Pokéballs out but she saw that and rushed toward him with the knife. Ash had to jump out of the way to avoid being stabbed. She was fast with the knife though and let out a barrage of attacks. Ash knew he couldn't get hit here if he wanted to save Trip so he rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, he rolled into the backboard leg of the bed. He clutched his head in pain.

"Oww!"

"And did I mention that you are a total idiot?" She asked as she tried to stab him. Ash recovered quickly to avoid getting stabbed in the groin. "You think that you can get your army of little kids to storm this mansion and save one boy that is past his bedtime? Please! This kid will be the death of all of you, and Cipher is going to make sure that you kids will be wiped off the face of the planet."

"Keep dreaming because I'm going to save Trip!" Ash shouted as he tried to kick the knife out of her hand. He missed but she jumped back.

"You can still say that despite the fact that you totally accepted my kiss? Three times I might add?"

"It was only twice!" Ash corrected, his cheeks red with shame. How could he let someone like her trick him?

"Oh, you can count! Doesn't matter. You'll be counting the number of times I stab you!"

Ash got up quickly and rushed toward the door. However, the pink haired girl was fast. She nearly stabbed him in the back as a result but Ash fell to the floor before that could happen.

"You need to die so that kid can suffer."

As she brought the knife down…

"Vaporeon, use hydro pump!"

A blast of water suddenly blasted the door away and hit the Cipher girl directly sending her on top of the bed soaked and wet. Her knife fell to the floor.

"Ash, what the heck were you thinking?"

"Michael…you…"

"Pika pi!"

"Eevee!"

Ash was greeted by his Pikachu and Eevee who hopped on their trainer while Michael stepped over him with a Vaporeon by his side that was leering at the pink haired girl. To Ash it was obvious that they knew each other and it wasn't a good thing.

"I'm surprised you got your jacket in the whole struggle." Michael joked as Ash realized that the entire time, he was holding onto what was unzipped. "Leave her to me. We have a score to settle."

"Michael, she has a knife!"

"I know. Cipher plays dirty. They won't hesitate to kill you. I let my guard down once and got all my Pokémon stolen by them and now I want my revenge."

"You meanie…" The pink haired girl growled as she shut up with a Pokéball in her hand. "Attacking a girl with a powerful water attack just to get her wet. Such a naughty boy..."

"It's only naughty if you think it is." Michael taunted. "Go now!"

"Delcatty go! Use shadow ball on that mean boy!"

A cute cat like Pokémon came out. Michael instantly turned on his scouter that told him it was the same Shadow Pokémon that Bane jacked. Delcatty fired a black ball at Michael. He ordered his Vaporeon to stop it with his shadow ball. The two attacks collided but it was enough for Michael to jump out of the room when Lovrina regained possession of her knife.

"Yeah…like I'm going to let you kill me…" Michael said with a sigh as his Vaporeon jumped to his side. "Be careful Vaporeon. Let's take the Shadow Pokémon back."

"Por~"

* * *

Iris wanted to scream but she couldn't. String shot tied her up like a mummy and she couldn't wiggle free. With her tied up, Cipher went to capture her Pokémon. They captured them in their Pokéballs. Iris thought it would be impossible since they belonged to her but they had a machine that was able to steal her Pokémon. They put the Pokéballs on the ground, as they turned to the dragon tamer.

"Now we have to deal with you."

They could smell the fear in Iris' eyes as they walked toward her. She struggled again but no prevail.

"What should we do? Should we burn her alive? Rip her apart? Or…"

"Have our way with her?"

"That sounds fun."

"!"

The Cipher members laughed at their jokes…but then someone that wasn't part of the group started laughing. They stopped and looked around.

"Yes, that sounds fun. You tie her up and then have her beg for mercy when you start toying with her emotions, but in the end, she'll continue screaming for her prince to rescue her…and this prince would have refine taste."

"W-Whose there?"

"Rock tomb."

A huge boulder that came crashing from the sky attacked the Cipher members. They and their Pokémon had to move out of the way to avoid being crushed. Iris glanced up and gasped when she saw someone wearing a black outfit and was wearing a white wig over them. On his shoulder was his Pansage.

Cilan?

"Who are you?"

The mysterious man just shook his head. "I am a member of the Shadow Triad…I would give you my name, but then I would have to kill you~" He said in a teasing tone.

Iris shivered. The tone Cilan used didn't match him at all. Was he always this dark and crazy? Was his cheerful persona only a façade?

The member of the Shadow Triad took out another Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Dwebble, use slash!"

The familiar rock/bug Pokémon came out of its Pokéball happily as he used its pincers to free Iris from her binds.

"C-Cilan!" She called out the minute she was able to move.

Cilan ignored her as he focused on the Cipher members that were planning to hurt her. He might have been cryptic on what was going to happen but…

"D-Damn you Plasma members! You always cause trouble for us Cipher members!"

The green haired gym leader chuckled. "Of course. After what you did in the past, we simply couldn't let you off the hook? That would lead to having a bad aftertaste in one's mouth."

Cilan observed his surroundings. It was seven against one since Iris didn't have any Pokémon. He would need to defeat them all before he could give Iris back her Pokémon. Even though Ghetsis said that he should force them to release them…he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do that especially to Iris…

"Cilan…are you really…"

"Iris, we'll talk about this later." Cilan said darkly.

The dragon trainer trembled slightly at Cilan's tone of voice. Why wasn't he gentle with her like he always was?

"C-Cilan…"

She ended up walking behind him hoping that he wouldn't pull away from her. To her surprise, he grabbed her arm and pulled her directly behind him.

"Stay close to me. I don't want you to get hurt."

Iris felt her heart racing when he spoke those words. While his tone of voice was deeper, his words were gentle. If she brought her ears closer to Cilan's back, she would hear that his heart was pounding like hers.

The Cipher members laughed at the touching scene before them.

"Aww, isn't that sweet? A high ranking member of Team Plasma saves a measly human with no social upbringings." The leader of the group accused. "This will be a piece of take."

Cilan just chuckled as he pointed toward them. "I may be a member of the Shadow Triad and thus a member of Team Plasma, but right now, I'm just a guy who's going to do the right thing and create a recipe that you members of Cipher will never forget."

He took out a third Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Stunfisk, come out!"

It was going to be another triple battle, but unlike Iris, he would not fall. He was going to defeat these Cipher members and regain Iris' trust.

* * *

Ash kept running forward with Pikachu and Eevee. The minor setback made him realize that Trip could be dead if he didn't hurry up. Almost seduced by that evil woman, was bad enough but he almost died because he didn't push her away. But he was convinced that she was Trip for a while. The way she spoke, the way she presented his body despite it being a disguise, Ash didn't know why he was still thinking about it. If he thought Lovrina was Trip then…what did that mean…

_I don't get it, but I need to focus on Trip now._

There were just a few more doors to barge through to get to Trip.

"Trip!"

"Ash!"

Ash made it to the final chamber. He was disgusted to find Bane waiting in a chair that was suit for an arrogant king. He stared down Ash with his evil eyes as he had a Pokéball in hand. Ash wasn't looking at his opponent though. He saw Trip and the condition he was in. The poor kid was not only beaten up but he was stripped and tied up in an awkward position that Ash's mind wouldn't be able to comprehend.

"So you finally made it. I thought you were more interested in Lovrina than this poor faggot."

Ash didn't say anything. Whatever that woman was doing, it kept him from arriving sooner, but he still didn't understand what she was trying to do.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Bane just laughed. He thought Ash was bluffing but Trip could tell Ash was serious. He shouldn't have had doubted Ash for a second because the idiot wouldn't be able to tell if someone was trying to turn him on or not.

"You can say that all you want. You were turned on by a woman and not this kid."

"I'm not here for your mockery. I came here for Trip!" Ash declared. "If you won't move out of the way, then I'll knock you out of the way!"

"Hah, that's very funny. A little boy challenging me, a member of Cipher on? I'll play with you before you go to sleep. I can't wait to drain the life out of you once my Pokémon is through with yours. Ferrothorn, come on out!"

Bane sent out his Ferrothorn to take on Ash. Now Ash would have called out his Tepig and use strategy to beat this guy but his Pikachu wanted in on the action. His Eevee did too initially but he seemed really scared about something.

"Pikachu, you want to take him on?" Ash questioned his buddy.

Pikachu responded by his cheeks sparking. "Pika!"

"Alright."

"Ash…be careful…" Trip tried to call out but his voice was at it's last breathe with all the screaming he just did.

Bane gave a haughty countenance. He was going to win this. "Shadow rush!"

Ash had no idea what type of attack that was. Ferrothorn started to spin as it spun toward Pikachu.

"Use agility!" Ash ordered.

His Pikachu quickly sped out of the way. Ash was surprised that Ferrothorn continued to chase after Pikachu quickly. The electric mouse was still faster and was able to continue dodging him.

"Power whip!"

Ferrothorn stopped spinning and slammed one of its thorns into Pikachu's face. Pikachu took a direct hit and was sent flying.

"Pikachu!"

"Is that it? This brat here says you're the best, yet I see another weakling in front of me."

"We're just getting started. Pikachu, thunder bolt!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu recovered and unleashed powerful lightning bolts from his body. The attack hit Ferrothorn directly but it took little damage.

"W-What?"

"Stupid boy. Ferrothorn is half grass, half steel. You're pathetic. Ferrothorn pin missile, fire!"

Ferrothorn's body began to glow. Shortly after, it fired small thorns from its body at Pikachu.

"Use electro ball to knock them away!"

Pikachu quickly gathered his strength onto the tip of his tail and fired the electric ball at the pin missile attack cancelling it out. Ash blinked for a second and saw that Ferrothorn had a red aura now. It was entering hyper mode.

"Shadow rush!"

When the thorn Pokémon rushed at Pikachu this time, it was twice as fast because it was seething with anger. Pikachu was thrown back into Ash's arms and Ash was sent back quite a distance.

"! Ash!" Trip cried as he struggled with his chains. They wouldn't budge despite inherited from his mother. Was he really too weak to even get himself out of trouble now that Ash was here?

"Give up and die so I can continue with my fuck session." Bane said as he licked his lips.

Trip shivered at those words. Fortunately, Ash wouldn't be affected by those words and continue battling.

"Pikachu, you think you can keep going?"

Pikachu nodded his head. Eevee looked worried for his trainer. Ash closed his eyes and glared at Bane. "Alright, let's finish this."

Bane didn't realize that he was being pushed back until it was too late. Ash figured out how to counter Ferrothorn. When Bane forced his Pokémon to use power whip, Ash ordered his Pikachu to take the blow. Pikachu was able to grab onto the vine and despite being spun around, Ash ordered Pikachu to electrocute Ferrothorn while spinning. This would do damage despite the resistance since the thorns were connected to Ferrothorn. It was forced to let go of the electric rat. Ash knew how to finish it off.

"Pikachu, volt tackle!" He ordered.

"Metal claw!"

Ferrothorn knocked Pikachu back with its thorns turning as hard as metal. Pikachu bounced back but was already charging its body with electricity. Pikachu charged Ferrothorn head on. Bane couldn't order his Pokémon to dodge or counter because Pikachu was moving too fast. Ferrothorn was hit dead on and despite the resistance, took critical damage. Hyper mode weakened its stamina and fainted as a result.

"You useless piece of shit!" Bane cursed.

Ash smirked. He won the battle. Trip could go free now. "Way to go Pikachu!"

Pikachu needed to catch his breathe before he cheered with his trainer. Eevee also rooted for Ash as it hopped over to his trainer's leg. Trip sighed with relief. The hard part was done now…

Trip froze when he felt the noise of a gun being loaded. His eyes widened in horror as he noticed that Bane was pointing a gun toward Ash.

"No…"

Ash didn't realize the gun was fired. As luck would have it, the bullet went past Ash's cheek and that brought him out of his cheery state.

"ASH!" Trip ended up screaming.

Bane just laughed. "Try to take another step. I might not miss next time."

"! You dirty coward!"

The Cipher member continued to laugh as he slowly walked over to Trip. "You're a fucking idiot kid. Cipher doesn't play by the rules. We'll kill you regardless if you win the battle or not. By the way, if you move…" Bane then pointed the gun to Trip's head. "This cute head of his won't be attached to his neck anymore."

"TRIP!"

Bane just shook his head as he continued to laugh like a hyena. It made Ash's blood boil as he clenched his fists realizing that he wouldn't be able to do anything for Trip now.

"You were so close kid." He derided. "You manage to get this kid to risk everything just so he could be with you." He continued to chide as he rubbed the pistol on Trip's back wanting to pull the trigger so badly. "But in the end, you can only watch as I violate my brother's son."

He sounded proud to bring up that he was raping the child that belonged to his brother. Trip shut his eyes tightly.

"No…"

Ash almost took a step when Bane got behind Trip and used his free hand to play with the young trainer's nipples.

"No!"

"You bastard! Stop it!"

Ash wasn't a person that swore but he was furious with this guy. What was this feeling in his gut?

"Kid, you would be surprised how much Trip likes you. He'll be turned on if you're watching his shameless display of affection."

Trip squirmed desperately trying to get away from this man. Ash was right in front of him. He just had to break free and run into his arms. Why was the miracle not happening?

He bit his lip until it drew blood when Bane went below his nipples and grabbed his dick.

"You won't say anything? This is what you wanted your true love to see." His uncle mocked as he started to stroke him. "Why won't you let those cute sounds out when you're in bed?"

"Stop it…please…" Trip's voice was cracking. The dirty blonde felt the tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried not to cry in front of Ash again. He promised he would be strong but he was failing miserably. Why was this happening in front of the person he cared for so much? Why must he be punished for wanting to be saved?

"You were like a Purrloin when I told you he was touching you."

"No…Ash…please help!" He begged. He didn't care if he died. He just wanted Ash to save him.

Ash just stood there not knowing what to do. He was fueled by anger but one wrong move meant that the person he was trying to save would die. Both Pikachu and Eevee were growling. Sparks were being released out of Pikachu's cheeks while Eevee entered hyper mode from the abuse they were witnessing. Only their trainer didn't understand the full aspect what was happening in front of him, but he wanted to murder the man in front of him for hurting Trip.

Bane wanted to spite Ash and show him that there is no such thing as hope in this world. He slowly undid his pants and positioned himself behind Trip. "I guess I should show you how a man is supposed to take control in a relationship. Kid, I'll just say this once, this brat is my property."

Ash didn't realize that he moved at that point but at that point, he didn't care. He rushed toward Trip. Bane would have pulled the trigger if something from above didn't hit him in the hand forcing him to drop his pistol. The attack also hit the ropes that bonded Trip to the ceiling. The rope was cut and Trip fell forward. Ash opened his arms out and caught the grey-orbed trainer.

"You bastard! You're going to pay!"

Ash looked to see what happened. Next to him was a Woobat that was ready to attack again. Suddenly, a Yamask appeared next to the Woobat and unleashed a shadow ball at Bane hitting him directly and sending him back into his chair.

"If you say, _**You're going to pay**_!"

"We will answer for the sake of tomorrow."

Ash's eyes widened realizing who were the people that saved them both. He slowly turned around.

"Future! A white future reflects the color of evil!"

"Universe! The hammer of justice in a black world!"

"Our names will be remembered in this place!"

"Destroyer of passion, Jessie!"

"Pure heart of darkness, James!"

"Infinite intelligence, Meowth!"

"Come gather! Under the name of Team Rocket!"

Ash's eyes kept getting bigger if that were possible. "T-Team Rocket…"

Jessie and James stepped in front of the two trainers facing their opponent.

"We may be Team Rocket and you may be our enemy twerp." Jessie began not looking back.

"But we cannot stand the horrendous deeds that are happening before us." James finished. He was referring to the child abuse and rape that they were witnessing.

Meowth stood near Pikachu and Eevee. Pikachu was surprised to see Meowth too.

"It's not like I'm doing this as an apology for betraying you twerps." Meowth hissed. "This guy just ticks me off!"

It was Ash's turn to prepare to cry. He almost lost Trip, but if it weren't for Team Rocket then he would have…

"Thank you so much…"

"Don't thank us now twerp," James told him, "Not until we deal with the trash."

Bane recovered and got out two Pokéballs and threw them in the air. "Come on out Hypno and Lickilicky!"

Two Pokémon came out. One was the Pokémon that was known for kidnapping children and the other was the pink monster with a huge tongue. How fitting for a pedophile like him.

"I'll show Team Rocket what happens when they mess with Cipher! Hypno, use psybeam! Lickilicky, use flamethrower!"

The two Pokémon attacked with powerful attacks. However, at closer inspection, you could see that the attack was darker than usual. When Ash closed his eyes and opened them again, he saw that these two Pokémon also had a dark aura surrounding them.

"!"

"Hey twerp, take our advice and get the kid out of here." Meowth advised as he extended his claws, "we got this in the bag."

Ash didn't question them. Trip needed to get out of here fast. With a slow nod, Team Rocket ordered their Pokémon to charge at their opponent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: TBC with 10,532 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. You know, I still have a grudge against Georgia so I made her lose her middle finger again like in The Twins of Evil. I find it amusing to hurt her…heh heh…
> 
> 2\. Shadow Pokémon are physically stronger than normal Pokémon hence why Burgundy's group didn't stand a chance because they underestimated them. The only reason Blair and Whitlea are able to overpower Cipher is experience. These two have been traveling Unova for a year at least but Blair has nine badges (and Whitlea has more). Blair and Whitlea represent the player that is able to kick ass at any moment.
> 
> 3\. Iris lost to Cipher because she let her guard down. Bianca was simply no match for Cipher. Ash is a horrible person for leaving the girls outside. Then again, Ash would be screwed over if Michael weren't with him.
> 
> 4\. Cipher is known for being able to disguise themselves as other people as shown in Gale of Darkness when they disguised themselves as THE WHOLE CITY. That was the creepiest part of the game when you didn't realize the whole city was taken hostage by Cipher. Lovrina could easily disguise herself as Trip but why Ash didn't look at her chest…actually…Ash would probably doubt Trip's gender or he wouldn't notice boobs rubbing against him. It comes off as really creepy given Lovrina is like in her twenties but this is the difference between her and Est. Est gives off the Shotacon vibe but never acts on it while Lovrina was only trying to seduce Ash because Bane and Trip could see what was happening in that room. It's a good thing Ash resisted her the entire time even if she looked like Trip.
> 
> So guys, were you surprised that Blair, Whitlea and Cilan came back to help the group? They'll talk later about what happened but Cilan is the most suspicious at the moment since he just had his breakdown. But one thing is for certain. He isn't going to let Iris be raped by Cipher. Especially considering what happened in the flashbacks that they were going to do the same thing to him since he was the only conscious brother.
> 
> Team Rocket saving the day? Well, they can do that in movies and everyone will cheer because Team Rocket has a heart somewhere in there. Here in the Unova region though, why are they doing that? It's obvious that they owe Trip since he allowed them to stay at his place when he didn't have to. Trip doesn't even care that they're an evil organization as long as they open the door. Even though they owe Trip, Bane is such an evil man that they have standards to what they will stand for thus will they help Ash in this final battle.


	19. Dear You: Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the battle is near. Who will emerge victorious? And no matter whom the winner is, will Trip finally be able to figure out where the key to the door is and discover what his mother was hiding on the other side?

Cipher should have known not to mess with the trainer called Blair. There had been rumors about this trainer. They said his strength was equal to the current Champion Alder. Then again, he did get to challenge Alder to a battle. He lost but he still manage to KO more than three Pokémon on the champion's side and that's an amazing feet. He faired well against the Subway Bosses Ingo and Emmet in a two against one battle (but still lost). His greatest achievement under a year is probably challenging the dreaded Rhia Mephisto and winning the clock tower badge from her. (Whitlea also won this badge, but that goes without saying).

Except Whitlea and Cheren, no one knew what hell Blair went through to get that one badge. On the surface Blair came out okay with only his Simipour losing an eye. On the inside though, Blair was traumatized with what he had to go through.

The Mephisto family, like Trip implied, did not treat their male guests right. Perhaps it was because of gender stereotypes that males were better than females that made the Mephisto family better. Perhaps it was a horrifying event that happened to the husband of Rhia Mephisto and her daughter Maddalen that made her shun all men from the temple except a selected few. Those who wanted her badge would go through hell if they were male, but if they were female, they were welcomed with opened arms.

Blair originally didn't want to go to Lacunosa town because he heard terrible rumors of the Mephisto family on how they were a group of assassins that would take any job to kill someone of your request. It could backfire though if you were a male as the Mephisto family doesn't take males too nicely. Optimistic as he was and being peer pressured by Whitlea, he ended up going to the temple to challenge Rhia to a gym battle.

Rhia would not give him a gym battle right off the bat. She challenged Whitlea first and forced Blair to train his mind and body downstairs in the basement.

That was a terrible idea. The basement was hell on earth for Bair. He just wanted to get out and tell Whitlea that they were the real deal. He couldn't though. He had to fight his way through the dungeon that reminded him of a certain video game he never wanted to play again. He had his Pokémon to defend him, but what was the point? He didn't want them to be hurt. In the end, his Simipour lost an eye because one of the torture items was flung at them.

In the midst of despair, something inside him snapped. It might have been a split personality that was there from the very beginning, but whatever it was, he embraced it.

He didn't know what happened after that except that he came out with a few bruises an injured Simipour. He wanted to take it out on Rhia Mephisto but by the time he got out, Rhia congratulated him for making it out alive. Whitlea was horrified that her best friend was put through that torture and would have given the badge back if she didn't treat him properly shortly afterward.

Blair remembered the words she spoke. She said that he was one of the rare guys that had the guts to battler her and come out alive. She apologized for his Pokémon being injured and offered him a proper gym battle. If this was the hell he had to go through to challenge someone as arrogant and cruel as her, then he accepted.

He won the next day of course, but after that, Blair wasn't the same. Whitlea knew he was scarred but didn't mention it to Cheren (who stayed at the Village Bridge to train far away from the crazy temple). Blair was more distant. He was brooding more than he usually did and he wasn't as optimistic as he usually was. The brunette became more cynical as if he woke up from a fantasy and realized that the world wasn't all about Pokémon battles and winning tournaments. His kindness felt like a façade now instead of being genuine and when he blew up, something bad really happened.

That's why when Cipher saw the being in front of them, they knew they were screwed; It wasn't just Blair's new appearance though that scared them but his Pokémon also appeared more aggressive and threatening similar to a Shadow Pokémon but not quite. This darkness wasn't from a closed heart but it seemed to be embracing the darkness his trainer had.

"W-Who are you?"

The being left out a horrid laugh that echoed throughout the forest. The moon shined on his body and they could see what he was now. His entire body was black. The brown hair was now blue and his eyes were the brightest white they have ever seen. That wasn't a good thing though because he looked like a shadow. Reim became a darker shade of blue to the point that he looked like it was navy blue turning slowly to black.

He didn't respond. He just pointed toward them. "Finish them Reim."

Samurott charged at the Shadow Pokémon with giga impact. Poliwrath proceeded to use protect but that weak barrier was nothing against Samurott. It took one hit to send Poliwrath flying off in the distance. Chances are that it landed close to where Cilan was fighting.

"What the-"

Samurott wasn't done with one giga impact. The samurai Pokémon didn't need to rest after one hit and then tackled Venomoth next and set the moth flying right after the Poliwrath.

"S-Stantler, use your giga impact!"

Stantler charged at Samurott. Instead of tackling back like expected, Samurott unleashed a powerful hydro cannon. The water pressure was too much and soon Stantler was sent flying with the other two.

"N-No."

"Reim, stand down. These guys are mine." The being said as he pulled something out of the darkness that looked like a huge scythe.

"M-Monster! Who are you?"

They didn't bother sticking around. They ran as fast as their legs took them. To their horror, the black figure chased them through the woods. With one big swing, he sliced one of the Cipher members in half. The other two realized their comrade fallen and tried to run faster. The second man tripped leaving him wide open for an attack. The black being didn't slice him up. Instead, he grabbed him by the legs and dragged him into the darkness. The Cipher member's scream echoed throughout the forest causing the last member to stop in his tracks.

"Y-You got to be kidding me!"

He started running back to the drawbridge where the escape boat was. He had to get away from here before he ended up dead like the rest of his comrades.

As he rushed through the forest, he didn't realize that the black being was catching up to him…and he was just walking. What was he?

The Cipher member ran for a couple more minutes until he finally reached a clearing. It was near the drawbridge but he was home free. He stopped to catch his breath thinking that the black being wouldn't go out where there were other people around. The black being didn't need that though because a black shadow grabbed him and hurled him right back into the forest.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"…You're annoying. Why must you draw unwanted attention?"

The black being wrapped the shadow around the Cipher member's neck and began to tighten it. It was becoming harder to breathe. He felt his lungs failing him.

"M…Monster…"

"How rude. I guess I should tell you my name before you die."

He kept squeezing his neck tighter and tighter until the Cipher member's face became an obvious shade of blue.

"They call me Kcalb, the only one that will fully love Black. He doesn't need anyone but me, especially that blonde cunt." The Cipher member could see a sinister Cheshire grin plastered on the black being's face. "But that wouldn't do. I love Black more than anything and if I have to kill to earn his approval and keep her alive, then so be it."

Tightening the shadow, it manages to fully strangle the man. Saliva dripped from the man's mouth as he struggled one last time before his body stopped moving. Now he was just a doll that was hanging. Kcalb dragged the man with him back deeper into the forest. He dropped the body in the middle of nowhere as he continued heading back to where his Samurott was.

Samurott was waiting for his trainer. The dark tint on his body was gone at this point and Reim was just waiting next to the unconscious Bianca. The darkness that was surrounding Black was slowly disappearing.

"This would be the second time you relied on me." Kcalb said to no one in general. "I expect good things from you, my darling Black."

With those words, the darkness was gone completely. Blue hair changed back to the chocolate brown color. His skin became the normal color, and the soul seeing white eyes became brown again. Blair quickly rushed toward Bianca after his transformation.

"Bianca…everything will be okay…I'll get you back to the mansion…I'm pretty sure Trip has a more powerful antidote there…"

Reim looked at his trainer in worry. He wondered if the darkness was something Blair should constantly rely on in these situations…especially since he was previously ranting about Cilan having a split personality.

* * *

Ash carried Trip out of that room and back into the hallway. He really was planning on letting Team Rocket handle Bane after what just happened. They saved their asses and he had to at least repay them by listening to their advice. He didn't want to leave though because he wanted to be the one to defeat Bane once and for all, but Trip had to get far away from this man. Ash would make sure of it.

 _His body is cold._ Ash thought to himself as he continued running. Pikachu and Eevee were right behind him. And his body is so light. Did his uncle…starve him?

Ash held Trip closed to him. He wasn't going to let go. Not anymore.

"A…sh…"

The Kanto Trainer stopped running to let Trip regain consciousness.

"Trip, you okay?" He asked in a worried tone.

Ash didn't know what Trip saw when he slowly opened his eyes, but tears were falling down them.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Ash instantly asked worried that Trip was hurt internally.

The young photographer responded with a weak smile. "I'm…glad…that you actually…came to save…me…even though I'm…"

"What are you talking about? Of course I would save you! We're friends!" Ash shouted even though he shouldn't be raising his voice.

Ash constantly kept using the word "friend". For some strange reason, Ash knew that wasn't the right word, yet he constantly used it. What was the word that Iris and Cilan used when they were referring to the Cottonee that they helped out a long while ago? Love?

"I'm…happy…" Trip mumbled as he weakly nuzzled against Ash's chest. "Someone…actually cared enough…for me…"

Ash didn't know what to say to that. Should he comfort him more? Should he pick up the pace and get the hell out of there? Or should he…

That last idea was scrapped out as an explosion was heard behind them as well as gunfire. Trip slowly opened up his eyes and glared weakly in that direction.

"Ash…take me back…"

"What?"

"Take me back…I got to…settle the score with…that bastard…"

"You can't! I won't let you!" Ash instantly argued as he started to pick up the pace again.

"No…Ash…I got to…get back at him…"

"Revenge won't solve any-"

"It's not about revenge…Ash! It's about…" Trip couldn't say it. He didn't want to admit that he wanted to get at Bane for all the terrible things he said about his friends…and his mother. What Bane said about him was true…but he would not take those insults for those he considered important.

"…You're more important to take care of."

"…Please Ash…take me back…I can't…let him have the last…laugh…"

Maybe showing Ash his begging face wasn't a good idea. Ash had already seen everything Trip could throw at him…yet…Ash ended up caving in again.

"Only when I see that gun taken away will you have your revenge." Ash told him as he slowly turned around. "But there's one thing I need to do first."

"?"

The secret dungeon had many hidden rooms. Ironically, all the rooms were organized and had beds and drawers with clothes in them. Ash quickly rushed into one of the rooms and pulled out an outfit that looked like a cosplay outfit and threw it at Trip. "At least put some clothes on…"

Trip looked at the costume. Ash didn't notice that a small smirk returned to him. Trip might have been weak in the knees but he was quick when putting the outfit on.

"So in the end, I'm going to play Satoko, the little girl that was abused by her uncle and finally has a chance to tell him what she really thinks of him…"

Ash was puzzled at what Trip just said. The young photographer was wobbling as he tried to stand up, but he didn't care. The Kanto trainer would be helping him walk regardless.

"I'll ask one last time Ash…take me to Bane…"

"…You know I'm doing this because he deserves a smack down."

Trip smiled weakly as Ash lent the dirty blonde his shoulder to lean on. The two slowly walked right back to the battle. Pikachu and Eevee followed after their trainer.

"Thank you…Ash…"

* * *

Despite being outnumbered, Cipher was no match for the single member of the Shadow Triad before them. His Pansage, Dwebble and Stunfisk were on a whole different level. It didn't matter if they had Shadow Pokémon or not, the Shadow Pokémon were no match. In the end, they were left with Shadow Scyther and that one Pokémon wouldn't be able to take on three.

"Stunfisk, use thunder shock! Dwebble, use rockslide! Pansage, rock tomb!"

Scyther was overpowered. Dwebble jumped in the air and caused rocks to fall from the sky onto the bug Pokémon. While Scyther was quick enough to dodge, it ended up getting its wing stuck in the rock tomb attack leaving it wide open for the electric attack. Stunfisk shot electricity form its body and hit Scyther dead on, knocking it out.

"S-Scyther."

"And now, use solar beam Pansage~"

Pansage gathered light in the palm of his hands and unleashed it at the members of Cipher. The attack was so strong, it sent him flying into a tree and knocking him out. However, Pansage wasn't done there. Using the attack like it was a beam, he moved his body and with his body moved the beam. Pansage mowed down the rest of the Cipher minions and their Pokémon if they dared get up.

"And that's what I call a one sided competition." Cilan taunted, as all the Cipher minions in the area have been defeated. "Dwebble, tie them up for me. We don't want them escaping now do we?"

Dwebble nodded its head as it scurried over to the Cipher members and used the corrosive fluid to tie their hands behind their back. Cilan felt the need to capture these scum before disappearing.

"Cilan?"

There was one thing that he would have to deal with now though.

"Iris…don't say anything."

"!"

"…I lied to you and Ash…about me…"

"W-What are you talking about? You're Cilan, right?"

"…I am…Cilan, one of the three leaders of the Striation City gym. When Team Plasma calls though, then I become Cilan of the Shadow Triad."

"That can't be…"

He closed his eyes. He pictured the dragon trainer moving away from him.

"Team Plasma's goal is to separate humans from Pokémon. That is what our leader wants. If you understand that, then we must part ways."

"No…"

Cilan continued walking to where Iris Pokémon was placed. They were snagged but all he would have to do was force them to come out and then break the Pokéball so they were no longer Cipher's Pokémon.

"If I were cruel, I would be forcing you to release your Pokémon as my reward for saving you." Cilan sighed. "However, because I am a gentleman, I won't do that."

"Cilan…"

The grass gym leader slowly walked back to Iris and smiled sadly. "You have a dream to fulfill. What would be the point of your dream if you didn't have your faithful companions at your side?"

Cilan noticed the tears starting to fall from her eyes. Not knowing what to do, he proceeded to leave after his speech. Iris grabbed a hold of his hand though.

"Don't go, please!"

"! I-Iris?"

"I don't care if you're a member of Team Plasma or not! You're still you!" Iris tightened her grip on his hand. "They may have almost destroyed Castelia City, they have killed thousands of people in Nimbasa City and they may force trainers to release their Pokémon, but you're different! You were by our side during both of those attacks! Not once did you say to get rid of our Pokémon! You're a hero in my eyes…even if you see yourself as a villain…"

Cilan felt his heart beating faster at her confession. He should have known that his friends would forgive him. Then again, this was only Iris. Ash might not think the same way and Blair certainly isn't going to forgive him for attempted murder.

"Iris…that's only you…everyone else…"

"They'll forgive you Cilan if you explain everything! Please, don't leave us…don't leave me…"

She started to sob louder. Iris couldn't bear it anymore. She didn't want to lose one of her close friends over something like this. She would do anything, but she couldn't think of anything that would convince Cilan to say. "Cilan…I…"

Iris was stunned when he turned around to embrace her. It was a genuine hug instead of one of manipulation like Burgundy claimed he would do if he really was evil.

"Don't say anything anymore…idiot…"

"…"

"I…don't want to do this…" Cilan ended up confessing, "I wish there was another way…but I can't turn my back on the man who saved my life…me…and my brothers…owe him everything…I can't choose between you and Ash…and my family…"

 _So his brothers are…the ones that did it?_ Iris wondered. That couldn't be though. Chili may have been derpy but he's not crazy and Cress may have been on the emotionless side but he wasn't heartless. These three brothers couldn't possibly murder a countless number of people and for what? Liberation of Pokémon? Mass genocide doesn't require killing thousands of innocent people!

"…Cilan…you have to trust us…" Iris told him softly.

"!"

"That's what friends are for…we're here for you during the good times and bad…we won't abandon you if you're having a problem. We'll fix the problem you have…you just…have to…believe in us…"

"Iris…"

Dwebble finished tying the Cipher members up with the help of the other two Pokémon. The Shadow Pokémon would probably be given to Michael when all was said and done. The trio didn't want to bother their trainer as they noticed that he really needed time alone with Iris, the trainer who would pull the mask away from his face and open his eyes to the truth.

Iris thought that Cilan would let her go. To her surprise, he did no such thing. He just smiled warmly as he looked down on her face. Slowly, he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"…I guess…I lost this one…you win…"

* * *

Bane's minions didn't know what was coming when they fought Est and her Gengar. So far, she has proven to be incompetent in almost everything she did except driving. They tasted the true terror of a bodyguard of the Mephisto family.

She annihilated them but it wasn't her Pokémon that did the damage, it was her. She didn't play by the rules and attacked the trainers directly. They didn't expect her to be carrying weapons underneath her hat besides her Zorua. Then again, she was a witch and her response to these weapons is that a witch was always prepared. Bane's minions didn't know where she got the broom, but said broom was a fucking spear. She only needed to press a button on the bottom of the broom to reveal a sharp blade.

Est didn't kill them. She just ruined their legs. They were screaming in pain but with the two trainers in the hidden area of the mansion, they wouldn't hear her torturing her victims.

 ** _The Mephisto family rubbed off on you._** Zorua stated the obvious.

"I know…I'm not happy with that…" Est said with a sigh as she dragged Bane's men and threw them into a nearby box and shut it tight. They weren't getting out until the police got here, and they wouldn't bleed to death. "…This is for hurting Trip…"

The little witch stole the keys to the cages that Trip's Pokémon were held in. She rushed toward the staircase and noticed the hole in the floor.

"My god…they decide to activate the traps now?"

_**Whoever fell into this one is an idiot.** _

Est jumped over the hole and rushed upstairs where Trip's Pokémon would be. She could hear their cries for help.

"Found them!"

She opened the door on the right on the top floor and sure enough they were in the cage trying to get out. They looked tired and hungry. Bane was a bastard for starving them as punishment for Trip escaping his grasp.

"I'll get you guys out. Just make sure you save Trip, okay?"

Est went over to their cage and inserted the key in each one. The cages opened easily and the Pokémon were free.

"I'm certain that Trip is on the bottom floor!" Est declared. "Follow me."

Est took Trip's Vanillite in her arms as she rushed out of the door. Even though they were starving, saving their trainer from their evil uncle was more important.

* * *

Team Rocket was in a jam. Not because they were incompetent but because their Pokémon were not up for the challenge. They didn't have the chance to evolve their Pokémon yet, so they were losing against the Shadow Hypno and Shadow Lickilicky. It didn't matter though. As long as they could keep the pistol away from Bane, they wouldn't need to resort to drastic measures.

"What's wrong? I thought Team Rocket was going to stop me!" He taunted. "Hyper beam you two!"

Both of his Pokémon prepared a powerful hyper beam. While Yamask wouldn't be hit, Woobat would take the full blast and it wouldn't have anyway of defending itself; Jessie would have recalled her Pokémon, but Ash beat her to it.

"Pikachu, electro ball!"

Pikachu sent it's electric ball at the hyper beam effectively cancelling the attack out. Team Rocket didn't expect Ash to come back with the victim.

"Hey twerp, I thought we told you to take the kid and run!"

Ash turned away rather embarrassed. "I was going to, but Trip said he wanted to kick this bastard's ass before he got away."

Disregarding Ash's foul language, he was dead serious when it came to Trip wanting revenge. He was still wobbling from all the abuse he suffered but as far as Team Rocket learned about the Mephisto family, torture wasn't going to stop them especially if revenge came first.

"Team Rocket…" Trip began in a dangerous tone. "I'm sorry to ask this…but can you get that pistol for me?"

Bane just laughed seeing that Trip came back. "Oh, you want to die with them! Have it your way! Shadow Rush!"

Bane's Pokémon charged Team Rocket's Pokémon with a now red aura. Both of them took a critical hit and were sent flying.

"Woobat return!"

"Yamask return!"

Bane chuckled as he proceeded to get the pistol he dropped.

"Not so fast tubby!" Meowth hissed as he unleashed a barrage of fury swipe attacks.

"Argh!"

Meowth knocked the gun toward Team Rocket.

"Get it Hypno! Psychic!"

Before Team Rocket could grab it, Hypno stopped them all with its powerful psychic attack.

"Pikachu use-"

Lickilicky stopped Pikachu in his tracks with another hyper beam.

"PIKA!"

"PIKACHU!"

Ash caught Pikachu before he was sent flying. "Eevee, use your shadow rush!"

Eevee obeyed as it quickly tackled Lickilicky as it was recovering. The Shadow Pokémon was sent flying into Hypno who lost his concentration as a result. That was enough time for Meowth to grab the pistol and throw it at Trip praying that it wouldn't go off when thrown. Bane's eyes widened in horror when Trip caught the gun easily and clicked the gun.

"…Est…do it now."

The group was stunned when they saw a spear being thrown at Bane. He barely had time to dodge it and it almost pierced his family jewels. Turning around, they saw the little witch with Trip's Pokémon safe and sound. Vanillite quickly hovered over to Trip. With the hand that didn't have the gun, he hugged the small ice cream Pokémon.

"I'm sorry…for worrying you…"

"Vani!"

"I-Impossible! How did you?"

Est smiled innocently. "You're not the only one who knows every secret route in this mansion. As part of the Mephisto family, let's say that finding a way to the bottom floor is as easy as pie. Trip, do the honors."

"Right."

"T-This is an outrage! I won't let you kill me! Hypno, Lickilicky, use-"

To his horror, Pokéballs were thrown into the air and captured all of his Pokémon. They all went into the Pokéball and even though they tried to break free, they all ended up snagged.

"Michael, took you long enough." Est said with an evil smirk.

The redhead came into the room dragging Lovrina by her pigtail. She was unconscious but not dead luckily. He had her hands tied; she was ready to be arrested.

"She was easier than the last time." Michael replied. "All Shadow Pokémon in this area had been successfully snagged. Now I need the ones that are with those Cipher members.

"N-No!"

He fell to his knees trying to crawl away from the boy with the gun. Trip slowly walked over to him and aimed his pistol at him.

"D-Don't kill me! I'll redeem myself! I'll have your father love you again! I won't go after your mother!"

"Scum." Trip growled. "You're the worst. You encouraged my father to beat me senseless. You're part of the reason Maddalen wants nothing to do with me. You tried to kill my friends and turn my Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon. And don't get me started what you did to me because you couldn't have Maddalen. It's true that I'm worthless, but even if I deserve to disappear with the rest of the trash, I won't let you drag those that have a brighter future than me! You tried to kill them all…prepare to die."

"No! Please spare me Trip!"

Ash's eyes widened in horror seeing the degraded look in Trip's eyes. These were the eyes of a killer that was ready to continue to make their victim suffer. Ash had an idea that Trip's family was crazy but he didn't think it rubbed on Trip at all. Even though Trip murdered three of Bane's henchmen…

"Trip, don't do it! He's not worth it!" Ash shouted shocking Est.

"What are you talking about? He totally deserves death!" Est spat surprising the Kanto trainer. "Anyone who rapes a child is worse than the criminals that steal from the weak and cause mass genocide to thousands of people…and this man has crossed the line one time too many to be redeemed. Even the angels wouldn't let him live."

"That's right…" Trip muttered. "You enjoyed my suffering, so I should do the same thing. After all, you said that if one of us goes down, we both do, right uncle?"

Bane screamed when the gun was fired. Everyone thought he killed the monster in front of them. To their surprise, Trip just shot the wall to the right of his ear. Everyone was relieved but Est thought he would put a bullet through his head.

"Fortunately for you, I'm not Maddalen." Trip told him darkly as he walked closer to him and placed the gun to his mouth. "As a result, I won't kill you. I want you to rot in prison until you die. I want you to know that all your plans have failed. I want you to know that I won't go down with you. No one will believe you if you said that I killed your henchmen. The blame will go to you and if anyone says otherwise, the Mephisto family will hunt them down. So you see, when I regained some of my confidence back, I was able to put together that I won't be dragged down with you now. Maybe we'll see each other in hell, but right now, you're the one that's going to suffer."

With that said, Trip hit his uncle with the gun. It was strong enough to knock him out. The man almost had a seizure as a result.

"Trip…you…"

Trip faintly smiled as he turned around. "Sorry Est…I really can't do it…I don't want to become either Maddalen or Bane…I'm me…"

Est understood what he said as she got out another rope out.

"And even though I'm useless…"

"You're not useless!" Ash interrupted. "You're someone that deserves something in life! You shouldn't be dragged down by what your family said! Weren't you going to continue beating me and then get past the Unova League so you can challenge Alder?"

"I did but…"

"You have a dream! Live it!"

"Ash…"

Ash was right. He needed to move on from his families past and look toward the future. He would never be the head of the Mephisto family because he was born a male and as a result, will suffer being rejected from the family. He might never make amends with either parents or his old friends and he might forever be remembered as the boy that ended the life of the newest champion Amanda.

But today, Trip realized that he had friends that cared. Friends that wanted him alive and would continue fighting for him, and even though Trip nearly abandoned his Pokémon to see Ash one more time, they still forgave him by running back to him when they could have escaped.

"Thank you…Ash…"

* * *

It was amazing how quickly morning came. By the time Bane and his henchmen were defeated, Cilan, Iris and Blair managed to round up most of the Cipher members and their Shadow Pokémon. Iris commented that there were at least ten Cipher members that attacked them but Blair insisted that there were only seven. They left it at that due to two problems.

The obvious problem was that Bianca was gravely injured and poisoned. She needed to be treated immediately. Est wasted no time looking for medicine that could treat Bianca temporary before they headed back to Driftveil the next day. Est explained that they needed to lick their wounds before they could leave or the injuries they suffered would open again. Black was surprised by her insight about the whole thing and felt like she had taken levels of badass when he was away.

Cilan was the other problem. Just because Iris forgave him didn't mean that everyone else did. Blair simply wasn't going to forgive him after attempted murder but until Bianca was treated, Blair wouldn't look him in the eye. It was very unnerving of Cilan to be given the silent treatment. Iris prayed that Blair would understand given his personality, but then again, she was suspicious of what happened to the Cipher members that chased after Bianca.

So far, the only people waiting in the rather messy living room were Ash, Iris, Cilan, Michael, Blair, and an unconscious Bianca on one of the long couches with a blanket over her, Pikachu, Eevee and Axew. Trip went somewhere upstairs to get something. Team Rocket only went with him because the police showed up shortly afterward. Est left with Officer Jenny to take those monsters away from the mansion explaining everything to her and what went down in this place.

"How's Bianca, Blair?" Michael asked as he finished counting the number of Pokémon he snagged back from Cipher. Just a few more and he would have gained them all back.

"She's doing better than last night." Blair responded feeling her hot forward. "Give her a few more days and she'll be back to her energetic self."

"That's good." Ash said with a sigh of relief.

The brunette nodded his head in agreement. He was just glad he was able to save her.

Est came barging in shortly after with a cheeky smile on her face.

"I'm such a genius~" Est declared as she trotted over to the couch and plopped down. "Officer Jenny believed every part of it."

"Every part of what?" Ash asked.

"The testimony." Michael explained. "I don't think you should have lied but-"

"All the murders that occurred here will be put on Bane. We can put Trip murdering in self-defense in the past since I doubt a single lawyer will defend either Bane or Lovrina for their crimes…and I got data of all the crimes they committed."

"From who?"

Est smile turned rather scary when she stared at the group. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

They didn't, so Est kept her mouth shut about that. She then turned to the grass gym leader and frowned. "Anyway what the hell were you thinking trying to kill someone the other night?"

"Sorry…I was really stressed." Cilan muttered. It was a half-truth as Ghetsis was stressing him out with capturing Shadow Pokémon and so on. "Everything that has happened recently really caught up to me…like how Kurtz' body was never found."

The group was silent as they absorbed this information. Ash and Iris did recall that Cilan started acting different shortly after there was an announcement about Kurtz disappearing without a trace and whether or not he was alive was unknown. Cilan looked up to Kurtz from their point of view because he was an S class Sommelier. He knew many things that Cilan didn't and it might have sparked a rivalry between them, so when his disappearance was announced, his overall cheerfulness vanished.

"I don't know how I'll be able to make it up to you guys…"

"You can start by trusting us." Ash said. "And you won't go off on us like that again."

"…"

"And you won't be flinging knives around like a madman." Blair reminded him as he walked over to him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Owww!"

A cocky smirk escaped the brunette's lips. "Now we're even."

Everyone in the room just laughed at Cilan's pain. The grass gym leader did deserve that punch. It was good that they didn't question him about where he got the knife from and if he was part of Team Plasma or not. Only Iris knew…then again, Cilan had a feeling that Blair and Est had some idea. Blair was observant and Est had started to show signs that she knew more than she let on.

Est noticed that Trip made it back to the room looking rather excited. She noticed that he had a Pokéball in his hands.

"What do you got Trip?"

"…The key…" He began. "I finally figured out where the key was…to that door."

The attention turned back to Trip who wanted to see what was in the Pokéball. Trip unleashed the Pokémon that was in it. Out came a chinchilla with a scarf wrapped around it. It looked pretty damn happy to be out of the ball.

"What's that Pokémon?" Ash asked as he instantly took his Pokédex out.

"It's a Cinccino."

"Cinccino?"

_**Cinccino, the scarf Pokémon. Their white fur feels amazing to touch. It repels dust and prevents static electricity from building up and is also coated in a special oil that makes it easy for them to deflect attacks.** _

Trip smiled warmly. "How long has it been Maria?"

"Chu~"

The chinchilla jumped onto Trip and began to rub her head against him. Trip's Vanillite was not impressed.

"Can you give me the key?"

"Cin-chu!"

The Pokémon took something from its scarf and handed it toward Trip. It was a shiny gold key in the shape of the letter V. Team Rocket came down when they saw the key in his hand.

"Trip…how did you…"

"I really did search everywhere Est." Trip explained. "But no matter where I looked, I couldn't find it. Bane and his henchmen couldn't find it either simply because they didn't know the mansion as well as I did. That's why they needed me to find this key. However…when I thought about when I was waiting to be rescued…" Trip's cheeks became a brighter pink when he remembered what happened. "I…remembered…that Maddalen…did tell me where the key would be…before…she walked out…I suppressed that memory because I didn't want to remember the happy times before that incident…"

"But how did that Pokémon manage to stay alive?" Michael asked. "It's not like a Pokémon can stay inside a Pokéball for a long period of time and I'm pretty four years is a while."

"…"

"Maddalen would visit here from time to time." Est admitted. "She would feed Maria, play with her before sending her back into the Pokéball."

"So…she doesn't hate Pokémon?"

"She's trying to get over it." The little witch said with a laugh. "It's fun to watch her squirm around cute one's like Maria."

"Cin~"

It was amusing to imagine this great, powerful trainer having difficulty with cute things. Ash thought for a second that from this description, Trip's mom might not be so bad…

"So, are you going to open the door or not?" Meowth asked getting excited.

"Of course I am. I need to know what's behind there. You guys going to follow me or not?"

* * *

They made it to the door. Slowly putting the key in, Trip finally managed to open the indestructible door. Inside, there was a long hallway that leads to another door. The photographer didn't understand why this was needed but there must have been something really important.

Opening that door lead to the room with what Trip expected it should have. There were loads of bags with money in them. There were various shiny and rare artifacts that you couldn't find anywhere and countless albums with Pokémon related things. Team Rocket was staring at the money before them while Ash and his friends were amazed that his mom had all of these wonderful objects. Judging from how shiny the room was, Maddalen probably went into the room whenever she visited Maria.

What stood out the most was a note that was hanging on the rather plain looking bulletin board right next to an old fashion stereo that Trip recognized being an item obtained only from working on the Umineko project. Trip allowed Team Rocket to take only what they could carry and no more because this was technically his money. For once Team Rocket managed to receive money for their good deeds despite being more antagonistic now.

"This place is fabulous~" Cilan exclaimed as he spun around the shiny floor. "It would take a miracle to make a room like this~"

"The Pokéballs are so shiny…" Michael mumbled as he went over to the shiny Pokéballs. "Wonder if there are any Pokémon in them…"

"Oh! Look at this dragon statue of Zekrom and Reshiram! It's pretty!" Iris announced.

"Axew~"

"I want some of that money…" Blair whispered to himself more than anyone else.

Ash noticed that Trip walked over to the note and opened it. His eyes widened as he read the note.

"Trip?"

"…"

"Trip?"

"…She's such a fucking idiot!"

His outburst snapped everyone out of their trance from seeing the precious items in the room. Est and Ash slowly went over to Trip upon seeing him fall to his knees and breaking down crying again. Est wondered what his mother wrote that would make him cry…then again…anything she said could do that.

"Trip…it's okay…" Ash whispered in his ear. "Everything will be okay."

"It will be Ash…soon…" Trip said with a tearful smile.

Est yanked the note from Trip's hands and read it. When she did, she accidentally pressed the play button on the stereo. A familiar tune that the two both knew played in the background, and it was relaxing.

_Dear Trip, my beloved son:_

_I know I have hurt you beyond imagination and I cannot ask for your forgiveness. I have accepted that I am a terrible mother for walking out on her family and the son that she gave birth to. I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me, but to you, it would only seem like lies that are said just for me to reform only for the cycle of abuse to start again. In the end, I'll tell you why I left in the first place. You were in danger after that incident. I don't know why they fished me out, but I wasn't going to let an opportunity of revenge slide when I realized whom these people are. The pact I made with the devil was the only way I can have the life now, but in the end, I wish that I had taken you with me, so you could experience the bliss I feel when I achieved my dream. Alas, I know you want to be a Pokémon Trainer and be the new Champion. Even though I detest that after what happened with Amanda, I made sure that Kurtz would lead you down the right path. I don't know the condition you are in now, but I help your healthy and happy with new friends that I took away from you. Please forgive this foolish mother. It's all I ask for._

_I'll love you forever…_

_Maddalen…your mother…_

Est wanted to cry with Trip, but couldn't. She felt like something was still amiss. Regardless, everyone in the room just enjoyed the soothing melody that echoed not only through the room but also throughout the entire mansion.

* * *

  _ **If I**_

_**Seemed to be a demon** _

_**Then let's praise me** _

_**For a little bit** _

_**Even if blood flows when you grip** _

_**Onto my cold, white, little fingers** _

_**Your smiling face from the distant days** _

_**Is never found** _

_**But if I'm at fault** _

_**Then someday...** _

_**Please, from your heart** _

_**Hate and kill the cruel me** _

_**If the wounded words decay** _

_**And the redness that scours this world vanishes** _

_**Please, please, please smile** _

_**And kill the cruel me** _

_**Don't grieve** _

_**If you vow to kill me** _

_**Then the shining blueness will fall upon the two of us** _

_**Someone, please smile at me** _

_**And learn of the unnoticeable truth** _

_**I want you to grasp my fingers that tremble too much** _

_**I wonder why you're sad like this** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: And done with 9371 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. Kcalb is a meme character that originated from 4Chan…I think. Anyway, he's supposed to be Black/Blair/Touya's split personality that will kill anyone in his way. Kcalb became more wide spread after he made an appearance in a web comic known as Black Adventure as his personality is portrayed as a psychopathic manchild that is yandere for Black. In this story, he rarely comes out. You really have to piss Blair off in order for Kcalb to show up. Blair might have snapped at everyone especially Est, but it still wasn't enough for Kcalb to show up and start killing everyone. Blair has a lot of self-control over his temper, so it's really hard to piss off. So yeah, even though Kcalb hates anyone that loves Black and wants to be with him, he'll do anything to please Black, and that includes saving people too. And of course, this was obtained when Black almost died fighting Trip's aunt Rhia, so you can tell that she's the most fucked up of the bunch.
> 
> 2\. The battle's were shortened simply because in retrospect, Blair and Cilan are overpowered in the story. Blair went Kcalb on Cipher and since we don't know the full power of the Shadow Triad, Cilan's ability in battle is cranked up to eleven. As for the Michael vs. Lovrina battle, it was one-sided like it usually is in the game. When I battled her, she was the easiest Cipher member to beat because status effects like sleep are useless in the game when you can call your Pokémon. Plus you can get a yellow and red flute for snapping out of confusion and infatuation. And just so you know, Michael snagged most of his Pokémon back from the Cipher members in that area except the one's that are with Whitlea.
> 
> 3\. The Cilan/Iris moment can be seen as a ship tease moment, a sibling moment or a family moment. I made it rather ambiguous on how the two really feel. Cilan did hit on her but then again, he was acting fabulous like usual.
> 
> 4\. Then there is the Ash/Trip moment. I really can't have them kiss romantically at all in this story can I? Sorry readers, this story are supposed to make Trip realize that he loves Ash and have Ash realize that Trip is very important to him. It wouldn't be realistic if Ash declared his love for Trip if he doesn't even know the term yet.
> 
> 5\. Bane seemed really easy to beat. Well, he is a cheater and cheaters never prosper. He has Pokémon that know the strongest moves and he usually gangs up on other Pokémon. What is learned in the Orre region is to get use to double and triple battle to prevent getting gained up and mugged. I never had a problem in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness because my team was overpowered. Even in the final battle, the boss was too easy unlike Colosseum where the game was so damn hard without the right team. Michael was badass snagging three Pokémon at once.
> 
> 6\. I guess I kind of proved that Est wasn't really such an idiot. You got to be smart to play the idiot card and Est does it really well. Her Zorua said that the Mephisto family rubbed off on her and since everyone in that family is crazy, she is too in her own way. So while she may not be as bad with Pokémon as everyone assumes she is, she is very knowledgeable with about how the world works and underground activity that isn't a good thing.
> 
> 7\. Bianca is out of commission even at the end of the story. It's going to take her a while to recover. I don't solve the sexual tension between her and Blair in this story on purpose because Cilan and Iris got it going or down depending on how you view the scene. Oh yeah, Burgundy, Georgia, Stephan and Luke are okay.
> 
> 8\. Maddalen's starter Pokémon was a Minccino that later evolved into Cinccino that she nicknamed Maria because…she was getting into the role of Rosa from Umineko…and that's ironic. Maria loves her trainer with a passion and loves her son too. Trip's Vanillite is going to have competition.
> 
> 9\. The key that Maddalen has is in the shape of the V on Victini's forehead. The key is symbolic of victory though because the door leads to an entire fortune's worth of items that Bane could never get unless he understood Maddalen well. Trip only remembers where the key was after recalling some warm moments with his mother. Remember, when Trip told Bane that he wasn't going to become her? That is when he remembers: after his victory over the tyrant that has tried to ruin his life ever since Maddalen walked out.
> 
> 10\. The song playing in the background is in fact the title of this story Seizensetsu. The lyrics at the end are the English lyrics. Isn't it ironic that the lyrics match Maddalen and Trip's relationship perfectly? I love how it all worked out.


	20. Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are some people you really shouldn't mess with especially when you have crossed the line. Mess with this person and you will have the most gruesome death imaginable.

There was a reason why the police in all Pokémon regions had a bad reputation. Terrifying criminals always got away from them when they looked away for one second.

Cipher was known for being able to turn tail and run. That's why despite Wes being the most threatening anti-hero in the Orre region, what he did meant nothing if Cipher could constantly run away and start the Shadow Pokémon project again. It was rinse and repeat with Michael clearing things up in the Orre region years later but Cipher made it apparent that no matter who rises up to them, they will always come back stronger than ever.

That's why Bane didn't hesitate to escape from Officer Jenny when she turned her back on him. He and Lovrina were escape artists, so they easily fled the cops and escaped to Anville Town, a place where no one would look for them. Officer Jenny could try as she might, but she had failed to keep the villains in check before Mr. Looker came to pick them up.

However, even though he escaped, he was already a ruined man. Defeated by some punk ass kids, Team Rocket gaining their name in the Unova region over Cipher when they were nothing but losers who couldn't even take over the Kanto region where they belong, and finally being humiliated by his nephew who told him that he was a good or nothing asshole that needed to rot in jail with the rest of them. He wanted to punch someone at that memory. He was going to drag Trip down with him, but no one would believe him when he said that Trip murdered his comrades. Even with his henchmen backing him up on the claim and Trip's confession, Est convinced the police Trip didn't murder them and he was set up. That little witch knew how to handle situations like this. He should have known given how she was still part of the Mephisto family. They would use every trick in the book to make sure they weren't convicted of a felony and she made it seem like Trip was the victim the entire time. Given his record of abuse, it was bound to help him out and this situation was no exception.

Bane would be the one to be charged with kidnapping, smuggling Shadow Pokémon into the Unova region, assault, Pokémon abuse, child abuse physically and sexually, attempted murder and first degree murder. It's amazing how many crimes he racked up in such a small amount of time, but Est made sure to list all of them including the ones he did in the past.

Lovrina had minor charges in comparison. They included: evading arrest in the past, smuggling Shadow Pokémon into the Unova region, assault, attempted murder and being an accomplish in the murders that Bane attempted. However, Lovrina was an escape artist in comparison so while she got away too, she would simply go back to Orre. Losing to Michael again infuriated her. She even received the Pokémon he snagged from her originally to kick his ass and he snatched it yet again. She didn't even underestimate him this time and it just wasn't fair.

"I'll kill them all!" Bane cursed as he punched the nearby wall. "They'll never get away with humiliating me like this!"

"I think we like totally need to lay low for a while." Lovrina told him calmly but just as angry as he was. "All Cipher members that were helping us out were like arrested. Mr. Looker has them all, so we can't make a clean getaway until we call for more help."

"Fuck this shit!" Bane continued cursing. "I should have killed him! That fucking brat should have died at the very least! I'll curse him until I die."

He stopped fuming when he had an idea. "Wait…I can't believe I totally forgot about that."

"Forgot what?"

He still had his cellphone on him. He took it out and began texting his brother. "It's simple. I'll just have my little brother finish off that flea. I'll tell him that he got me arrested and that revenge needs to be extracted."

"But your brother is a father. He's not like you."

"Oh, he's not is he?"

While he was texting a message, he didn't seem to notice that people were approaching them, armed and dangerous. Lovrina noticed and instantly shrieked.

"Why are you shrieking?" He turned around and the smirk that was plastered on his face fell. "Y-You!"

"Miss me Bane?"

"M-Maddalen! What the hell are you doing here? And how did you find us?"

Maddalen sighed. "You escaped on one of the trains to Anville Town. Ingo and Emmet for some strange reason couldn't track you down even though they knew you were here. Of course, I just jumped on the same train you did and here I am…along with these two of course."

The two people she was referring to were her bodyguards Nova and Noah. Both of them have weapons in their hand ready to kill when Maddalen gave the signal. Lovrina started to freak out. She knew she was cornered so she backed up. Bane however stood his ground.

"You…you knew?"

Maddalen feigned confusion. "Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb! You knew I was going to try and use your fucking son to lure you out. You knew I wanted what was behind the door and you knew that your son wouldn't figure out where the key to that door was at all! I was just wasting my time and here you were in Nimbasa laughing from the sidelines despite the bombings!"

Maddalen chuckled as she slowly walked over to her ex-brother in law. "Oh you, Bane. I wasn't in Nimbasa City during the attack. I was doing a shooting in Driftveil City. You should know that there is a secret passage that will transfer people from Driftveil to Nimbasa without having to cross that damn drawbridge."

"…Then that means…"

Maddalen gave a cruel smile. "You and Team Plasma are just pawns in my game~"

"Even though the lady isn't good at chess." Noah mocked.

The model glared at her male bodyguard as he chuckled as a response.

"Anyway, Ingo and Emmet will be here soon with Looker to arrest you guys…but I don't think getting the life penalty is going to do anything to your ego."

"W-What do you mean?"

Maddalen glared daggers into his soul. "You know what I'm talking about. Did you honestly think I would let you get away with that crime?"

When she said that, the Woobats that were in the area suddenly flew out of the trees in the background. Her eyes were shining a metallic gray like that of a bullet. Bane knew he was fucked, but he didn't have anything to defend himself with so he stood his ground.

"Why are you so worried about that?" He asked as his ego started to get the best of him. "You hate that brat more than anything in the world! You said it yourself! If he weren't born then you would have the perfect life! That old hag wouldn't be so cranky and trying to force you or your sister to be the heir to the Mephisto family! Your old man would still be alive! You would have the love of your life! You would be one of the best actors in the world and everyone would know you! But that kid ruined it all, yet why are you pissed off now when you engraved those hateful words into him?"

"The train is coming Maddalen." Nova informed her in a cold-hearted tone.

"I know. They're here." Her smiled became deformed. "You're right. That boy has caused nothing but trouble for me…but now…my life is almost the way I wanted it because I had to fight for it. In order to fight for my dreams, I left him behind…but…"

Bane didn't expect her to reach out and grab his shirt pulling him close to her face.

"You know better than anyone why I cannot tolerate rape."

Her two bodyguards moved out of the way as she dragged him away from the wall and near the train tracks.

"W-What are you-"

"You broke my child the same way I was broken. You may be brought to justice if I let you go now, but you will never escape my wrath after what you have done!"

The train was coming at top speed. It was the last one for the night. Bane's eyes widened in horror when he realized what she planned on doing. Lovrina could only watch in horror as the person known as Maddalen Mephisto used her strength to move Bane behind her so his back was facing the train tracks and then push him toward the oncoming train. Despite Ingo and Emmet being the conductor, at the speed they were going, there was no way to stop it.

"Good bye, my once beloved brother in law." Maddalen said in a mocking tone. Bane caught the sickening smile that was on her face when the train collided with him.

Lovrina's scream filled the tunnel as the train came to a stop. His body parts either flew everywhere or were run over by the train's speed. Maddalen was still smiling because Bane grabbed onto her hand when he was falling. When he was run over, his entire body was knocked off leaving her with his arm still holding her.

"Nice train." Noah joked.

"No time for jokes brother." Nova mumbled. "Now how are Ingo and Emmet going to clean up this mess? What will you do my lady?"

"I'll just say it's an accident." Maddalen said with a laugh. "I was going to shoot him but this death was more fitting." Maddalen then turned her attention to Lovrina who fell to her knees and started sobbing like the pathetic human girl she was. "As for you." She screamed when Maddalen yanked at her hair. "If you Cipher minions dare to hurt my son ever again, you will experience the wrath of the Mephisto family." She smiled innocently again as she threw her body against the wall. "Remember, the Mephisto family is a family that is known for killing their targets gruesomely. If you thought that was bad, wait until you see the death chamber at the bottom of the Mephisto chamber~"

"Stop…"

"Hmm?"

"No more…I'll turn myself in…please…I totally don't want to die…please…"

Maddalen grumbled as she heard Ingo cursing at her in German. Emmet slowly got off the train horrified at what just took place.

"You got lucky. The subway brothers are here to take you to Looker. If they ask for Bane, just tell them he had an accident~" She turned to Nova and Noah. "Nova, Noah, its time for my rehearsing in Driftveil City."

"Yes ma'am."

Ingo and Emmet tried to stop Maddalen when she tried to walk away from the crime scene. However, her bodyguards pulled their guns out toward them.

"Sorry you two. Our lady just got too carried away." Noah teased.

"Say it was an accident and we won't need to kill you." Nova added.

The two brothers were forced to comply as they were dealing with assassins here. The blue haired twins knew these brothers wouldn't report them and put their guns away and followed Maddalen.

"…Big brother…are you going to let them get away with this?" Emmet asked.

"…We have no choice…Emmet…there are some people you don't want to mess with…and that woman is on the top five people you don't want on their bad side…these five people don't care about having honorable Pokémon battles…they'll kill you on the spot…"

Ingo and Emmet could only watch from a distance as Maddalen got on her cellphone and called someone. Who she called, they didn't call but it was better not to ask. After all, to end up a victim on the train tracks was the last thing on their mind.

As the trio arrived at the secret exit, Maddalen smiled at the arm that belonged to Bane and continued to snicker before she started laughing psychotically. Her bodyguards kept their poker faces as they made a clean getaway. As they did, the head of Bane came rolling in their direction before stopping. His eyes were filled with horror because of what just became of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: And we come to an end with 2966 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. Maddalen mentions that there is a secret area that allows people to travel from Nimbasa to Driftveil undetected. That can imply that a certain character that has been mentioned since the first chapter is still alive.
> 
> 2\. Maddalen called someone. It should be obvious whom she called.
> 
> 3\. Maddalen is going to Driftveil City. Her twin sister is there as well as her friends. Ash and the group are heading there...
> 
> 4\. Maddalen's breakdown at the end is supposed to be similar to Light's breakdown and Shion's breakdown combined. Light because he was just found out for being Kira and Shion because she realized she fucked up. She just snaps even though she technically won this time. She gets away with a gruesome murder, but the question is, was it really for her son, or was it for herself given that I implied how she had Trip and why he's considered a nuisance to her.
> 
> Okay, about her bodyguards…they are twins. Noah is the witty guy who always has a joke even in dark situations like this one. He has a sick twist of humor, but despite that, he's a gentleman. Personality wise, he's like Sebastian from Black Butler and appearance wise, he would be an older version Minato Arisato from Persona 4. Nova on the other hand is dead serious with everything. Despite being emotionless, when she's acting, she can change her personality to fit the situation. She lives to serve Maddalen, which Noah finds disturbing. Personality wise, she's like Eve from Black Cat but appearance wise, she's Kula Diamond from King of Fighters.


End file.
